Covid-19 & Women - The Weekly Update 👌

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Covid-19 & Women: your weekly update

Week 14: July 6-10 2020

Dear Subscribers,

We hope you are safe and well. This is our fourteenth weekly newsletter, bringing you the latest on gender, the economy and Covid-19. If you like what we are bringing you, forward this email to a friend or two so they can sign up here.

We want to express our continued support and solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement demanding change both here at home and across the world. We are part of a sector that has work to do to be genuinely anti-racist. We must reflect & commit to change, today & everyday.

Keep reading for more news on the gendered and economic impacts of the pandemic in the UK and beyond. Scroll down to the bottom to catch upcoming events on gender, the economy and Covid-19.

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The Women's Budget Group on Covid-19

WBG response to Chancellor’s ‘economic update’
We responded to the Chancellor's 'economic update' yesterday. We consider the new investment welcome but also insufficient as our data shows that an investment in care could create over 2 million jobs. Read more here.

Covid-19 Report- The Impact on Women in Coventry
Today, we have published a new report which looks at the key gendered impacts of the Covid-19 crisis on women in the UK, with a focus on the city of Coventry. It makes recommendations for a gender- sensitive approach to ‘building back better’ after the crisis. Read more here.

Briefings on Covid-19
Find everything the Women's Budget Group has done on Covid-19 here. This includes our reports on the impact that Covid-19 has on Social Security and Social Care, as well as joint letters, policy responses, and more.

Find it all here

Covid-19: the latest from home

If The Government Is Serious About 'Building Back Better', Rishi Sunak Must Invest In Care
WBG member Diane Elson writes for the Huffington Post that investing in care provision is absolutely crucial if the government is truly determined to reduce inequality in our society. Read more here.

The Guardian view on the pandemic's impact on women: sound the alarm
The Guardian shares our call for a care-led economy, arguing that to prevent inequality from increasing, we need a recovery plan with care at its heart. Read more here.

As domestic abuse rises, U.K failings leave victims in peril
The New York Times reporters Amanda Taub and Jane Bradley write about how at least 26 women and girls were killed during the lockdown, whilst others were trapped with abusers. However, pleas for emergency support have largely gone unanswered. Read more here.

Benefits sanctions returning but impact of coronavirus and individual circumstances will be taken into account for claimants
Writing for inews, Serina Sandhu discusses the reintroduction of benefit sanctions. The rules state that claimants can be sanctioned, when their benefit is cut for a set period of time, for failing to meet their commitments, such as looking for work. Read more here.

How coronavirus is widening the UK gender pay gap
Linda Scott reporting for the Guardian on how the pandemic has been disastrous for women’s economic progress, but that inequality was baked into the system long before lockdown. Read more here.

How self-employed women in Britain slipped through the coronavirus safety net
Writing for Quartz, John Detrixhe reports on how as the coronavirus pandemic shreds the global economy, women have been disproportionately swept up in the wave of unemployment. He asks whether government safety nets are catching their fall. Read more here.

Is your career on hold? Here's how to reclaim it
The pandemic has thrown a huge curveball into the working lives of many women. Marina Gask explains that is possible to get back on track, in the Telegraph. Read more here.

Covid-19: the global pandemic

Spotlight on gender, COVID-19 and the SDGs: Will the pandemic derail hard-won progress on gender equality?
Ginette Azcona, Antra Bhatt, Sara Davies, Sophie Harman, Julia Smith, and Clare Wenham author a paper published by UN Women which presents the latest evidence on the gendered impact of the pandemic, highlights potential and emerging trends, and reflects on the long-term impact of the crisis on the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Read more here.

Despite compounding challenges, women in Iraq play vital roles in the country’s COVID-19 response
Despite the unprecedented challenges, Iraqi women are playing vital roles in the country’s COVID-19 response, serving as leaders, health and social workers, and responders to domestic and gender-based violence. In a blogpost for UN Women, five Iraqi women share stories of how the coronavirus crisis has impacted their lives. Read more here.

Events for isolation

Young Women's Trust Tea - Redundancy/furlough rights
10 July 2020 | 12.00pm-1.00pm BST
Have a question about redundancy, furlough or your employment rights? Join Young Women's Trust and ACAS for an extra YWTea all about redundancy and furlough rights during this time. ACAS are happy to answer any questions you have too. Please submit a question at the time of registration. Register here.

What next for workers?
16 July 2020 | 7.00pm-8.30pm BST
CLASS (Centre for Labour and Social Studies) have organised this special free online event to discuss what is happening in the labour market, who is being most affected, and what this means for working life and inequality going forward? The event will be chaired by CLASS director Dr Faiza Shaheen. R egister here.
Speakers:
Anneliese Dodds MP (Labour Shadow Chancellor)
Roger McKenzie (Assistant General Secretary, UNISON)
James Meadway (Economist)
Prof Susan Himmelweit (Economist, Women's Budget Group)
Mika Minio-Paluello (Energy Economist)
Geoff Tily (Senior Economist, Trades Union Congress).

Equal Power– Calling all BAME women: Explore Your Political Pathway
20 July 2020 | 7.30pm-9.00pm BST
UK Muslim Women's Network and The Parliament Project will lead a workshop where you can learn more about exploring your political pathway and how to kick-start your political career as a BAME woman. You don't need political experience, a party, or an in-depth knowledge of the political system - all you need is the passion to make a difference and the curiosity to find out more. Register here.

Calls for papers: Gender and Covid-19
Feminist Studies Journal. Submit by July 15, 2020. Find out more here.

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The Women’s Budget Group scrutinises government policy from a gender perspective. We are a network of leading feminist economists, researchers, policy experts and campaigners committed to achieving a more gender equal future. We have worked towards this since 1989.