Fawcett Society report: Exiting lockdown, the impact on women

The UK Government has made steps towards lifting the coronavirus lockdown, signalling a move to the next phase of the national response to the pandemic. But with women making up a small minority of those involved in decision-making, gendered perspectives are being missed. This does not just risk inequalities – it means that the likelihood of us ending the lockdown successfully will be undermined.

In “Exiting Lockdown: The Impact on Women,” Fawcett Society highlight multiple areas where government needs to analyse policy through a gendered lens in order to ensure that existing inequalities are not exacerbated during the recovery and rebuild phase of our emergence out of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Key suggestions include:

  • Publish equality impact assessments
  • Test, track and trace
  • Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) for all workers paid at living wage levels
  • Vaccine and treatment development
  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
  • Balancing health and the economy
  • Care infrastructure
  • Support parents
  • Do not leave the vulnerable behind
  • Improve women’s representation in decision-making
  • Do not roll back positive changes in politics
  • Effective working between tiers of government

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