Effects of corona virus on women

[ByGrabtharsHammerWhatASavings]

Just thinking about the ways the virus and measures taken to combat it will effect women. The first thing that come to mind is that if children need time off school/ elderly people need caring for, it'll disproportionatly be women providing that care and probably taking time off work to do it. The second things is the way isolation and domestic abuse will correlate. Women in violent and abusive relationships will be trapped at home with their abuser in an increasingly tense claustrophobic environment. No chance of even escaping to a friends or him going for a walk to calm down. I can imagine that a lot of women will experience their first episode of violence if a long lockdown is initiated. It's also a controlling abusers dream situation. I have a friend whose husband is extremely controlling and does anything he can to limit and control her movements. He's basically got her imprisoned inside atm and won't let her go out til CV is over - for her own safety, of course . Shockingly there's no need for him to self isolate yet, but her and their kid absolutely must be in the house 24/7. It's like all his Christmases have come at once. It's the perfect excuse for abusers to isolate their partners from friends, family, maybe even a way to force them to give up work. And worst of all I don't even know if these effects can be mitigated.

Tbh even in happy households I suspect men and women will be effected differently. My family is currently self isolating for the week due to coughs - for dp that means working from home upstairs in his nice comfy office, for me that means looking after 2 extremely energetic toddlers who will be climbing the walls after day 1! A week indoors sounds like actual hell.

I agree. I think part of the collateral damage of Covid-19 will be an increase/escalation in domestic violence. Especially if sporting fixtures get banned. I also wonder if it will result in an upturn in murder/manslaughter investigations? In respect of abusive spouses not seeking medical help for the abused out of malice; and abused partners seeing a way out by doing the same.

God yes that's a great point, it'd be an excellent way of preventing an injured woman seeking medical help. I wonder if we will start seeing "stress due to self isolation" used as a defense by men who have killed their partners. It wouldn't be far away from the "he was lonely and isolated" defense that's been successful recently in sexual abuse cases.

One of my best friends is a week overdue now and the baby is breech. Fortunately it sounds as though there isn't evidence that the virus is more dangerous for pregnant women but I was thinking this morning about how a massively overwhelmed health service will affect expectant mothers, especially those that need C-sections.

I harboured a dream that cleaning, disinfecting, feeding a family would transform from undervalued women’s work to heroic saving the world work, but actually it’s still really undervalued and now much more difficult. (And that’s without the schools being off.)

I've not seen any mention of stockpiling of condoms.

There will be a lot of very bored people stuck in the house needing to fill time...

Yup, my pregnant friend has self isolated from all but essential meetings because if she gets it she won't be able to do work maternity handover or go easily to antenatal appointments.

Good point about condoms. Also sanpro. My period only just came back post partum last month and Im not really back in the swing of dealing with it yet (have barely had one in the last 4 years!) Ive been building an essentials stash in the garage since brexit and only realised yesterday that I'd totally forgotten to buy any sanpro! Have ordered some reusable pads on amazon, but it's definitely an extra thing for women to think about.

Mental load. Planning how to occupy the children, how to feed the children. What to do if one child gets ill, especially single parents or those whose partner works away.

Just plopping this thread in here

To get a drs note for stress due to covid-19 and childcare issues www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/3846483-To-get-a-drs-note-for-stress-due-to-covid-19-and-childcare-issues

Looking at the nurses with pressure sores and bruises from their protective gear, it’s abundantly obvious they are most likely wearing “unisex” equipment- ie. based on the face of a 12/13 stone man.

Female nurses, to clarify.

Oh wow, that's shocking jcurve. "gender neutral" means "for the default male" 100%

Women are forming online prepper and survival groups and swapping tips.
Our experience of prepping has been similar, the way we prep and the types of things we do follow a similar pattern.
Another similarity has been in the reaction of male family members to us prepping - they take the piss, accuse us of being irrational and hysterical, until something happens to change their minds. Then they become deadly serious prepping experts, and sometimes controlling.

Oh FFS , does everything have to be turned into a men vs women thing? Pathetic.

Yeh I've been following the pepper threads, which definitely feeds into the "mental loads" point earlier. Interesting to hear that the husbands take the piss until the point that it's time to be the hero/be in control/take all the credit.

I have a lot of friends in America and from what they're saying it sounds like they're making sure they have enough food, nappies, organising flexible working etc, and their husbands are making sure they have access to guns and amo "just in case".

Thankfully we don't have gun culture and access (for most) in the UK, but I can imagine for some men "prepping" is a good excuse to start bringing weapons into the house.

Oh fuck off feelingverylazytoday. Discussing the specific ways that women will be effected by a the pandemic due to our biology, social positions, and socialised behaviours is not "turning everything into a men vs woman thing" it's an "applying feminist analysis to an serious situation thing". Perhaps you're lost because this is actually the feminist board. What kind of stuff do you think we talk about on here?

Maybe you can give us a list of everything we're allowed to discuss from a feminist perspective. Or doesn't it matter as long as we center men in every conversation we have?

As a mother of a 4 month old who currently wakes every 2 hours to feed at night I have no idea how I will cope if I get ill. Also what happens if I go into hospital, can the baby come with me? He will not take a bottle. I am thinking about early weaning just in case I am incapacitated and cannot breastfeed him.

We should discuss men, how they would all be good blokes if women were nicer, how hard it is to be men emotionally and how women can protect and support them and How women rely so much on men and how we should make sure they are aware of our gratitude.

The WHO have released something about the effect on women, especially the caring roles that fall mostly on women But I have lost the link as I am trying not to obsess at the moment

Was just coming to post this by the WHO!

https://twitter.com/who/status/1238393990262804480?s=21

During the #COVID19 outbreak, it's an opportunity for a spotlight on the role of women at home that often goes unrecognized, unappreciated & not reimbursed, and also women in the work settings who are at the frontlines. It’s women who are carrying this burden.

Going to make a separate thread too.

Yes I agree this is an extra burden on women. It already has impacted me and my time / work balance.

I've had sick children, string of big illness, for the last 4 weeks and it's really taken its toll on me as well as my workload. I've lost out on several working days as a result, most of which will need to be caught up on at some point.

Very lazy point from *feelingverylazytoday
*
This is an interesting thread. From my own personal perspective I'm a full time SAHM, struggling at the moment with a very active 2.5 year old, resort to tv too much as it is but if nursery school and music classes close I won't cope without more tv. My only help is my mum and she won't be coming to London anymore as has pre existing lung condition. (Interestingly, my dad won't "let her leave the house")
Husband is working from home indefinitely from Monday, in home office in our garden - so if we play outside it will disturb him, he will have to come in for loo, lunch, coffee etc and it will be confusing for toddler having him around all the time.
We are on the edge already for various reasons and I am feeling worried it will escalate tensions hugely.

Well, so far women seem to have half the risk of dying if they catch the virus compared to men. I hope some women are ready to become widows and have their financial/legal house in order if not married.

And of course if I get ill I will still have to look after the toddler (I.e. still go to work to do my job) but if my husband gets ill he will be able to stay in bed for two weeks.

crazy it does get better.

I've breastfed both of mine through awful chest infections both before and then after being diagnosed with asthma. It was hard but actually I found I could rest while they fed. I understand your worry re hospital, hopefully that would be a very rare circumstance. It might be helpful to find a local online bf group, my la leche league one is extremely good, for moral support? You could try pumping the odd bag to store and maybe see if baby will take a bottle. If not, they usually take a sippy cup by 5 months and could be fed by small cup now.

I'm still feeding my toddler and having a snoozy rest with him as he was up half the night ill.

https://www.llli.org/coronavirus/

4 months was a total killer with both mine btw.