Introduction
It is 2021. The world is reeling from the ravages of a
merciless pandemic that knew no borders and killed at will. When scientific
collaboration, market forces and societal will resulted in the creation, testing,
approval and deployment of multiple vaccines that may yet stop the virus in its tracks.
Where most were forced to live apart, and yet joined up like never before.
And yet, it has been a year where the privileges of a few
were starkly overshadowed by the destitution of many. A year where inherent societal
inequalities in many nations were held in sharp focus. Where the poor and disadvantaged
were much more likely to be infected and die of the virus, and where untreated premorbid
conditions hastened their demise. Many governments used the necessary restrictions of
civil liberties to their advantage, and many congregated to protest.
Where do women fit in all this?
Against all odds, and fighting many deeply entrenched
prejudices, many women have emerged as leading lights in their fields. The
Oxford/Astra-Zeneca vaccine was developed by a team led by a woman,
1 countries led by women reportedly fared better during
the pandemic,
2 a woman with Indian and African
ancestry created history and helped oust a divisive American leader.
How about ordinary women?
While such powerful women rightfully deserve every
accolade they receive, countless reports suggest that ordinary women have faced
disproportionate amounts of hardships during the pandemic year. During lockdowns, women
have undertaken the greater share of household chores and childcare or home-schooling
duties due to established gender-based domestic roles.
3 Women academics, particularly early-career ones, published far less and
received far fewer grants due to personal demands on their time.
4 Women have been subject to more redundancies and joblessness, owing
to the disproportionate number of women serving in low-skill, low paid and informal jobs.
5 Women have given birth and suffered
miscarriages in isolation,
6 were less able to
participate in leisure and self-improvement activities, were less likely to job-seek
when restrictions were lifted,
7 become poor and more
dependent on their partners’ incomes, all the while suffering a greater rise in the
proportion of unpaid household work that inevitably increased during the pandemic.
Internationally, displaced people or those from war-torn
areas have been dealt a particularly harsh blow during the pandemic. None have faced the
injustices more starkly than women. Women refugees have been hit with a ‘triple crisis’:
the challenges of COVID-19, displacement, and gender-based violence.
8Data from the USA indicate that one in four women and one
in 10 men experience intimate partner violence.
9
During the pandemic, not only has the opportunity to perpetrate violence increased due
to lockdowns, the access to help for victims has declined significantly. With job losses
affecting women disproportionally, this has also resulted in more women trapped in
abusive relationship with little hope of escape or support.
10 Women have traditionally been poorly represented in
clinical research.
11 It is of concern that this too
might be the case in COVID-19 research. Women appear to have better outcomes than men in
surviving severe COVID-19 but suffer proportionally more with symptoms of long COVID.
12 It is therefore important to understand the
socio-economic and health impacts of the pandemic not merely in the immediate aftermath
of the pandemic, but also in the long term.
Why do women need equal representation in society?
Despite decades of progress, women continue to occupy
fewer positions of power. UN Data
13 show that only
one in four women occupy parliamentary seats in democratic nations worldwide. Out of the
500 chief executives leading the highest-grossing firms, just under seven per cent are
women, only 53 out of 900 Nobel Prize winners are women, 37% of traditional news and 26
% of digital news is reported by women, and only one woman in the entire 92 -year
history of the Oscars has won the Best Director prize. Although women carry the most
burden of domestic cooking, just under four per cent of chefs with three Michelin stars
from the prominent restaurant guide are women.
Societies with higher female rights are more prosperous
and peaceful
14. Corporate boards that include women
are more likely to exercise a beneficial, moderating influence on male CEOs and one
study showed that having at least one female director on the board was associated with
less aggressive investment policies, better acquisition decisions, and ultimately
improved firm performance in these industries.
15 Female- led grassroots movements in politics or civil
society result in widespread social change, economic prosperity and environmental gains.
16 Women’s representation in local governments
has made a difference. Research on panchayats (local councils) in India discovered that
the number of drinking water projects in areas with female-led councils was 62 per cent
higher than in those with male-led councils.
17 In
Norway, a direct causal relationship between the presence of women in municipal councils
and childcare coverage was found.
18What can be done to improve gender balance in the
workplace and wider societal leadership roles?
Many countries have constitutionally protected
affirmative action or reservation policies in employment and education with the purpose
of allowing better opportunities to historically marginalised groups. This has resulted
in some betterment in representation but has often resulted in stigmatisation or
isolation of those admitted to such positions. At times, these provisions have stood in
direct opposition to legally protected equality laws, particularly in the eyes of those
groups that stand to lose out on such appointments.
However, in places where quotas were imposed to improve
female representation, for example in Norway where a 40% share of representation in
boardrooms was mandated by government, after an initial period of unhappiness, most
industries found that female board members increased profitability of their businesses.
19 When affirmative action is not mandated,
‘positive action’ in getting better female representation is helpful. This begins with
enabling more women to have access to training opportunities to apply to higher paid
jobs, providing supporting maternity benefits, widening recruitment pools to a more
diverse work force and supporting culture change within organisations that allows a
wider view of leadership.
The 2011 UN General Assembly resolution on women’s
political participation notes, “Women in every part of the world continue to be largely
marginalized from the political sphere, often as a result of discriminatory laws,
practices, attitudes and gender stereotypes, low levels of education, lack of access to
health care and the disproportionate effect of poverty on women” and urges Nation States
to implement measures that improves access and remove barriers to equal participation in
the political sphere. Several countries worldwide have introduced quotas for female
representation in politics; for example, a 1993 constitutional amendment in India
introduced a 30% mandated female representation in village and district council
elections. It appears that with time, this produces benefits. Data from India’s West
Bengal state show that when women’s political candidacy increases, young girls are more
likely to view themselves in leadership roles, but only after a village council has been
headed by a woman for two consecutive terms.
20Similar corrective measures may be beneficial in other
areas where female representation is poor. For example, a recent report from the UK
Royal College of Surgeons indicates that in 2020 only 12% of consultant surgeons are
female (an improvement from 9% in 2012) and just over a third of the surgical trainees
were female (35%) compared to 56% female trainees overall. The College has committed
itself to improve diversity and inclusivity in its work and represent the interest of
all its members. This is a highly commendable step and should be emulated by other
Medical Royal Colleges.
21Conclusion
Despite the evident benefits in a more gender-
balanced representation in society, data clearly shows that progress has been painfully
slow, and it may take decades to reach gender equality at its current pace.
19 In order to fully benefit from such representation, it
is imperative that organisations support pro-active policies that ensure women are
encouraged to work in fields that are traditionally non-female, provide strong maternity
rights, encourage shared parental leave and provide supportive childcare facilities.
Change has to happen at a pace that ensures that everyone
benefits from a truly representative society, where the voices of many are not drowned
by those of few in power. Civil society, industry, government, and educational
institutions should make it their priority to commit to achieving equality and justice
by taking pro-active steps to influence policy change in favour of a more diverse and
inclusive society. Post-COVID-19, as economies gradually begin to open, and people
return to their usual activities, it is important that the pandemic serves as a reminder
of the importance of achieving a fair and equal society for all.
