Since the COVID-19 outbreak, data and reports have surfaced illustrating a widening in the gender inequalities gap, and my presentation looks at these specifics as they relate to France. The inequalities that I examine include the impact of the numerous lockdowns on working mothers. It is well known around the world that women do the majority of unpaid work which includes cooking, cleaning, and taking care of children and the elderly, which limits the time they have to engage in paid labor or work longer hours. COVID-19 further exacerbated this problem with the closure of schools and childcare facilities. With the prominence of remote learning, mothers were expected to leave their jobs in order to care for their children. This is in stark contrast to the fathers, who were more likely to have a specific area in the house to work remotely and had far less responsibilities pertaining to the children.
My focus on France shows that, besides having to leave their jobs for childcare, data suggests that female job loss rates due to COVID-19 are about 1.8 times higher than male job loss rates. This is concerning because, in general, women make up less than half of the workforce, yet they make up more than half of the total overall job losses.
The pandemic in France also had a direct effect on women’s health, with many health resources going towards the pandemic response, and consequently, limiting reproductive and sexual health resources. Not only that, but data shows that women in healthcare had less access to well-fitting PPE, as masks and other equipment were typically based on the “standard male” size.
Another trend, perhaps the most profound, was the increase in domestic violence cases. Many women were forced to shelter at home with their abuser during the lockdown periods. Another consequence of this period was closures or limited access to shelters meant to support victims. Despite lockdown measures, there have been in-person protests to fight against these inequalities. Still, advocates also used social media in the midst of the pandemic to bring awareness to these matters. I close with a look at France-specific protests and attempted solutions to address this which have their own strengths and flaws.