Women of color are more likely to be working essential jobs without PPE, raising children who are unable to attend schooling by computer, or incarcerated in the jails increasingly overrun by COVID-19. However, their businesses are less likely to receive government aid addressing the pandemic.
We are only beginning to understand the full economic impact and societal upending the novel coronavirus pandemic will cause, but here are some things we do know:
Sixty-two percent of black mothers are the primary or co-earners for their families. More than one-third of all black children live with single mothers. One-third of jobs held by women are deemed essential, with women of color more likely to hold essential jobs. At the same time, women are more likely to work in sectors experiencing unemployment shocks such as retail, personal care, and education. Women, and specifically, women of color are poised to bear both the brunt of the fallout and the responsibility of carrying society through the COVID-19 crisis.
With its disproportionate impact on women of color, this virus could be seen as anti-feminist with a hefty dose of mysogynoir (misogyny focused on black women which combines both racial and gender bias). The fallout from COVID-19 will further exacerbate challenges unduly affecting women of color. How policymakers respond now will dictate whether in responding to this crisis, we can move closer to achieving the elusive gender and racial equity – in all aspects of society – that a just future requires.
The contradiction: Essential but underserved
Even in a world not experiencing a global pandemic, women are tasked with more caregiving responsibilities than their male partners. Women of color are more likely than their white counterparts to have multi-generational households and thus more likely to have adult and child caregiving duties simultaneously. This is the case for over half of black caregivers.
As the world moves to remote living, some are left behind. Nationally, only 58% of black people report owning a computer with 30% of black students forced to do homework on a mobile phone. The novel circumstance of extended school closures, coupled with the disparity in access to internet and technology, will undoubtedly disadvantage black children in educational attainment and earning potential.
Black women entrepreneurs are also disproportionately impacted by this virus. Women of color control 44% of women-owned businesses. However, these businesses lack access to capital and lag behind in sales when compared to white-woman-owned businesses. And now, black women, along with most minority owned businesses, have largely been shut out of federal aid.
“Stay at home” orders are not safer for all because for some working from home is not a viable option. Black women hold 15.1% of nursing, health support work and cleaning profession jobs even though they make up 13.7% of the national population. The Department of Labor reports over 217,000 Illinoisans work in healthcare support jobs, averaging an annual salary of $31,000. In addition to inadequate wages and a lack of hazard pay, many of these workers continue to work jobs where workers are particularly exposed to transmission.
Targeting the vulnerable
If Illinois represents the impact this crisis will have on women of color, then not all families are working safely from home. Black Illinoisans comprise 59% of residents experiencing homelessness. In 2018, 39.5% of all homeless individuals in Chicago were women.
A recent uptick in complaints and lawsuits remind us women renters are vulnerable to predatory landlords demanding sex in exchange for housing. In Chicago, Black residents are more likely to pay more than they can afford in rent, and low income black women and mothers are evicted at alarming rates.
The nature of the virus has driven virtually all of society inside the home, where women already more at risk of domestic abuse are hidden. In Illinois, 37.7% of women experience intimate partner violence in their lifetimes. Forty-three percent of of Black women have endured intimate partner violence or stalking. While staying at home creates social safety by flattening the infection rate, it increases the danger for people at risk of domestic violence.
There must be an emphasis on all vulnerable women of color, including incarcerated women. Cook County Jail is a COVID-19 hotspot, largely because infection-prevention measures are difficult to implement in correctional facilities. Black people are overrepresented in Illinois jails and prisons. The female population in the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) has grown exponentially over the years, with most being mothers.
The racial disparities of those infected and dying due to the virus are clear. In Chicago, 68% of those who have died because of COVID-19 have been black, while only representing 30% of the population.
A feminist recovery plan
In Chicago, elected officials, the philanthropic, and nonprofit communities have all acted quickly and demonstrated how to center the most vulnerable. Resources are being offered in the form of virtual health care, free meals and housing support. For women quarantined with their abusers, courts and domestic violence organizations have begun providing remote services and access to safe housing. Chicago Public Schools are offering free hotspots for families experiencing homelessness.
Private and public funds have been dedicated to helping nonprofits, individuals, families, small businesses and artists. The Governor has signed orders allowing IDOC to furlough medically vulnerable inmates, including pregnant women or mothers, and to offer low-cost childcare to essential workers.
The City of Chicago has also begun to address disproportionate black and brown representation in COVID-19 related deaths by forming the Racial Equity Rapid Response Team. The city will partner with anchor community organizations in black and brown communities to develop “hyper-local, data-informed strategies” to reduce COVID-19 deaths.
This approach to relief should not be surprising, considering Chicago is currently experiencing unprecedented leadership by women. All three citywide elected officials are women of color. Women lead the majority of philanthropic organizations in Chicago.
A task force solely focused on equity is the right step in the direction of a feminist recovery plan centering women of color that will lead us to a more equitable future. This begins with naming and framing and lifting women. Black women experience multiple forms of oppression at one time, including sexism and racism; challenges associated with COVID-19 amplify this dire situation.
A feminist recovery plan centering women of color will include a method for tracking gender and racial impacts of social policy, documenting both crisis response and long-term opportunities. Short-term policies regarding access to low-cost health care for essential workers and access to virtual health must continue and expand after the pandemic has been contained. Workers – particularly essential workers – should have mandated protections, including access to personal protective equipment (PPE). A recovery plan ought to address flexible working hours, paid time off, workforce safety and fair compensation as elevating women, and as such, elevating families.
There should be dedicated funds for women and girls that puts money in the pockets of women and their families. The City of Chicago has supported community advocates in making one-time cash investments in vulnerable families, ensuring heads of households have the money they need when they need it.
Finally, there should be consequential investment in targeting the racial digital divide. Women need access to remote professional opportunities for themselves and virtual learning tools for their children. Government agencies providing relief, like unemployment benefits, should commit to the technological improvements required to meet increased claims due to the pandemic in order to provide timely relief.
Helping women will help families. Helping families will help society at large. Helping the most marginalized helps us all.
Photograph by Christina Morillo on Pexel
