‘Harsh light’ | Women & young people among hardest-hit by pandemic

Despite rolling out several initiatives to protect jobs during the pandemic, such as the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS), the Government has been accused of overlooking the inequalities faced by women and young people.

According to this morning’s report from the Women and Equalities select committee: Unequal impact? Coronavirus and the gendered economic impact, these schemes which were designed as a safety net overlooked, and continue to overlook, “the specific and well-understood labour market and caring inequalities faced by women”.

It raised concerns that the Government’s priorities for recovery are gendered in nature, adding that investment plans which are favoured towards male-dominated sectors have the potential to create unequal outcomes for men and women, which could lead to a rise in inequality.

While benefits are available and changes to the availability of Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) have been rolled out to assist many, it has also highlighted who is not eligible for this type of relief. The Women and Equalities select committee stated that women are over-represented in this demographic, “and we are concerned that the Treasury seems both unaware and uninterested in the evidence showing this”.