But it also leaves them unemployed, with more work at home and the task of teaching their children.

Experts on the issue of women agreed that the coronavirus has exacerbated domestic violence against women, But they also said they have been disproportionately hit by unemployment and work much more at home.

“We have not necessarily seen an increase in calls to the hotline; but there are good reasons for that, since due to the closure due to the emergency, they may be sitting next to their abusers; and when they use the phone they ask them to turn on the speaker to hear what they are saying, ”said Mimi Lind, director of domestic violence services at the Venice Family Clinic in West Los Angeles.

During the video conference: The Shadow of the Pandemic- the Impact of COVID-19 on women, organized by Ethnic Media Services, Lind reported who spoke to a victim who told her that her husband lost his night job and is at home all day. "So at night he's continually waking her up, and she doesn't have a moment of peace anymore."

He added that a study from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) from years ago revealed that Domestic violence increases with unemployment, and it occurs in all cultures and religions, all countries, small towns and large cities.

"In Los Angeles, the good thing is that even in the middle of COVID-19 and with the courts closed, you can get a restraining order in court."

What's more, they can call a domestic violence hotline, where they can be accommodated in a hotel.

The coronavirus has sentenced many women, victims of domestic violence, to live 24 hours with their abuser. (Getty Images)

Reverse to progress

"COVID-19 has aggravated women's problems and reversed their rights and progress," said Beatrice Duncan, policy advisor for UN Women, the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and empowering women.

"We know that due to quarantine, 2.73 million women around the world are locked up with their abuser at home. As a result we have seen a three times more increase in domestic violence. ”

He even revealed that situations have been seen in which women are not only abused by their partners but by their teenage children.

The serious thing – he said – is that they do not receive the protection they need from the police immediately, because the agents are busy at the front against the pandemic.

"Not only the police do not respond to the needs of women but also the courts since many have closed. So they don't get the protection orders they need. "

The coronavirus has brought a lot of unemployment for women. (Shutterstock)

Struck by unemployment

Dr. Nicole Mason, president of the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR), a think tank committed to women's economic equity and removing barriers in the workforce and society, said COVID-19 has had an impact. devastating to working women and their families. "Unemployment is around 15% for them"

Of the 30 million applications for unemployment assistance, he said that women constitute a disproportionate number because they predominate in the service, health care, education, leisure and hospitality industries.

He pointed out that due to the “Stay at Home” order, many women have lost access to child care for their children. "Those who have to work from home are their children's teachers at the same time because of the closing of schools."

And revealed that more than three million women are the primary provider of their families, contributing more than 40% of their families' income.

"Women workers in low-income jobs have been struggling since before the pandemic."

Unemployment caused by the pandemic has hit women hard. (Aurelia Ventura / La Opinion).

Furthermore, she stressed that the lack of support services such as shelters and emergency beds for women experiencing violence has been exacerbated.

"If we put together the wage inequality, economic vulnerability and the increase in gender violence, we see that women have been strongly impacted by this COVID-19 pandemic not only in the US but globally, and the recovery will be complicated ”.

He noted that women have lost a disproportionate number of jobs, many of which will not return, and the support resources they have such as day-care centers will disappear or will not be there when the quarantine is lifted.

"They are really being abandoned because they don't have the support and assistance they need to stay on the job and provide for their families."

He made it clear that we must ensure that they can reenter the workforce flexibly in terms of their schedules and child care needs.

Orders to stay home have made women work more at home. (Archive / The Opinion)

More workload

Dr. Estela Rivero, a researcher at the Notre Dame’s Pulte Institute for Global Development, spoke about how women around the world face a greater burden of work and home care after COVID-19.

In his recent investigation, "The Burden of Enclosure: Understanding Gender Inequality Amid COVID-19," he suggests that quarantine policies have exacerbated disparities. "They have additional work with the children studying at home, or caring for a sick family member."

He added that women of all ages in the US are working longer hours than men in unpaid household chores, while men spend more time on paid employment. "We need to consider home care as a job."

In the US, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Vietnam and everywhere else, women are working longer hours than men, she added.

The coronavirus has caused women to mobilize and protest. (Impremedia)

Activism increases

Dr. Kirsten Swinth, a history professor at Fordham University, said that in the face of severe unemployment in the country, women and housewives in New York, Seattle, Richmond, Virginia and Los Angeles have responded with activism against the high cost of living, evictions, rent increases, affordable housing and price regulation by speculation.

"I think it is possible that by valuing nurses and essential workers, we can influence for a better salary and improve the working conditions of health professions such as nursing."

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here