Are you okay: How women continue to struggle in the post pandemic world?
Written by Ambica Sharma on behalf of Teesri Duniya Theatre
As we mark this year’s International Women’s Day with #BreakTheBias theme that celebrates gender justice: for fair and livable wages, for freedom from violence, for equal opportunities and leadership - there’s never been a more important time to acknowledge the challenges that women continue to face, growing injustices and additional risks compounded by COVID-19 pandemic.
Eventually, as vaccines roll out and case counts drop, the quarantine and lockdown may be the thing of the past soon (hopefully) and the world begins to re-emerge, the pandemic will have taken a toll on women beyond the impact of the virus. The pandemic amplified the already-existing power imbalances that place women and children at an increased risk of violence. The serious incidences of domestic abuse have intensified since the advent of COVID-19 pandemic. The World Health Organization estimates that one in three women will become a victim of abuse over their lifetime. However, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, clear trends of another concerning and growing epidemic have begun to emerge. As reported extensively, dozens of women across Canada have been killed at the hands of male partners or family members. Findings from the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability’s (CFOJA) report reveals that 92 women and girls were killed, mostly by men, between January and June of 2021. Indigenous women making up 12 per cent of femicide victims, despite comprising just 5 per cent of Canada’s overall population.
The United Nations calls this amplified intensity of domestic abuse “a shadow pandemic” within the larger pandemic. Many surveys corroborate the fact that COVID-19 intensified both the reported rate and the severity of intimate partner violence (IPV).
In a way, COVID-19 has only magnified the fissures within the complex web of gender inequalities. As distancing measures were put in place and people were encouraged to stay at home, the risk and incidence of intimate partner violence rose. The shelters and organisations that help women navigate and escape domestic violence reported sharp increase in their use and long waitlists for support. The added stressors of the pandemic- lockdown, unemployment, uncertainty - combined with sexism and financial inequality created a Shadow Pandemic of violence against women.
The other side of the pandemic also laid bare the onslaught on the mental health concerns among Canada's women, especially mothers. Statistics Canada research in 2020 found significant differences in levels of stress associated with COVID-19 based on gender identification. It reported highest levels of stress and poorer mental health outcomes with the 25.5% of female participants.
The findings revealed that women are more likely to experience heightened anxiety, stress, and depression during the pandemic's second wave. Stress, spending more time with family, childcare pressures and potential economic or job losses aggravated the complex equation in the socio-familial equation that heavily relies on women. Anxiety and stress related suicides are on the rise for women. Basic mental health services are among the most underfunded services in Canadian health-care system—it only multiplied increased calls to fund mental health at the same level as physical health.
During the pandemic, the rate of abuse increased dramatically by nearly 50% and higher for those marginalized by race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship status, and cognitive physical ability. As also, communities of color are affected more severely, with systemic inequities often meaning lower income and less access to social and private services.
After the massacre at l’École Polytechnique in 1989 in which a man killed 14 women, the Canadians debated whether the killer was a “madman” or was motivated by misogyny. In 2022 we need a different starting point. If men seeking to assert dominance are at the core of male violence against women, it’s time to commit to readdressing it with clear policy goals. Post pandemic reopening must be “gender- inclusive”, with women being an integral part of its planning.
