My rapid gender reading of UK government’s #coronovirusuk Strategy 1/9
2/9 p5 ‘no obvious sign that pregnant women are more likely to be seriously affected’ Great. But what about pregnant women worried about accessing health services at a time of an outbreak? I get UK is not Sierra Leone but this can have devastating consequences.
3/9 p12 4.8 ‘new powers’ to quarantine, lacking in new protections & adherence to human rights within quarantines
4/19 p14 4.25 ‘social costs’ + ‘social impact’ - evidence from previous outbreaks shows the burden of these costs and impact land on women
5/9 p16 4.34 Public Role - 3 items disproportionately impact on women’s lives: 1. Point 4 - ensuring family vaccines are up to date...
6/9 ... Point 2. Checking on elderly, vulnerable, friends and neighbours (yeah we should all do this but who do you think does more of this in society?)
7/9 .... Point 3. ‘Receptive to changes that may be needed to the provision of care to you and your family’ Look out Mums.
8/9 p18 4.45 Distancing strategies. School closures - every parents nightmare, disproportionately impacts on ... you guessed it!
9/9 p20 4.49 Increased pressure on work, dealing with own illness ‘or caring responsibilities.’ Whoever has the greater care responsibilities in the UK will potentially face more pressure: women.
