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OLO Report 2021-09 : the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Women

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OLO Report 2021-09 : the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Women OLO Report 2021-9 July 27, 2021 The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Women Kristen Latham Kaitlyn Simmons O L O ffice of Legislative Oversight Executive Summary- OLO Report 2021-9: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Women This Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO) report responds to the Council’s request to summarize the impacts of COVID-19 on women in five areas: workplace equity/employment, childcare, economic insecurity, access to healthcare, and domestic violence. Overall, OLO found that women, especially Women of Color and immigrant women, have borne the brunt of the pandemic. Further, COVID has exposed and magnified pre-existing inequities in social, political, and economic systems. Women have experienced: • Decimated industries where women made up the majority of the workforce; • Widespread economic insecurity (housing, food, transportation), especially by women who are generally earning less, saving less, and holding insecure jobs or living close to poverty; • Decreased access to childcare; • Decreased availability and access to healthcare services, particularly for mental and reproductive health; • Increased gendered burdens including caring for family, childcare, housework and home schooling; and • Disrupted access to legal and social services, as well as access to counseling, safe shelters, and medical treatment for victims of domestic violence. Workplace Equity Women have been significantly more impacted by COVID-related job and wage losses as (1) the industries hit hardest are ones where women have historically outnumbered men in the workforce and (2) women are more likely to drop out of the workforce to take on caregiving responsibilities. Women of Color and immigrant women have lost more jobs and had a slower recovery compared to White women. Data show that at the beginning of the pandemic (April 2020), female unemployment insurance claimants exceeded male claimants by almost 1 million, compared to April 2019 when male claimants exceeded female claimants by about 300,000. Further, between January and December 2020, nearly 2.1 million women left the labor force and of that, 564,000 were Black women and 317,000 were Latina women. This can have long-lasting equity impacts for women in the workplace, as workers who experience job loss during a recession tend to make less and get promoted less, compared to peers who kept their jobs for the remainder of their careers. Childcare One of the largest barriers to women in the workplace has been a lack of access to affordable quality childcare; the pandemic has only exacerbated this. Comprehensive data on the exact number of slots is unavailable but limited data states that the County did not have enough childcare slots prior to the pandemic. The pandemic could permanently close childcare providers and further decrease the number of available slots. Stakeholders report that providers in low-income areas are struggling financially and in danger of closing compared to providers in high-income areas. Other issues in childcare exacerbated by the pandemic include the increased reliance on informal childcare (which does not have an established and regulated curriculum) and the acceleration of decline of the childcare workforce (which is made up predominantly of older Women of Color). Economic Insecurity Widespread economic insecurity has impacted residents as a result of pandemic-related job and wage losses. County Staff report a significant increase in the number of households applying for financial aid and safety net programs, the majority of applicants being Women of Color and immigrants: • An estimated 13-15% of renters in the County are behind on rent and more than 2,500 households were on a waitlist to receive federal relief money as of February 2021. • The average monthly caseloads for County applicants for Temporary Cash Assistance increased by 60.2% from 2019 to 2020. • In August 2020, it was estimated there were about 100,000 food-insecure County residents. i Healthcare and Mental Health National research shows that women are more likely to have foregone healthcare during the pandemic compared to men; local stakeholders report seeing similar trends in the County. While the increased use of telehealth across the country has allowed women to attend check-ins with their doctors without having to find childcare arrangements and transportation, there are still barriers to equitable telehealth access. Further, almost all stakeholders highlighted the long-term mental health impacts of the pandemic as the most significant healthcare issue for women. Women have felt more significant impacts of the “COVID squeeze” - bearing a larger burden of unpaid labor such as childcare and housework, supervising online school, and being more likely to experience job loss and economic insecurity. Women of Color and immigrant populations, in addition to feeling the “COVID squeeze,” have also felt more acute stress due to the political climate and racial tensions across the country. Stakeholders fear that women will experience an increase in mental health issues for years after the pandemic and there are not enough mental health services, especially affordable and culturally competent services, in the County. Domestic Violence The reported incidence of domestic violence in the County has not increased during the pandemic but the severity of reported incidents has increased significantly, primarily an increase in strangulations. County staff and stakeholders believe that the number of reported domestic violence incidents will increase as pandemic related restrictions continue to be lifted, as more in-person supports will be available to domestic violence survivors. One significant long-term impact of the pandemic on domestic violence survivors is the closure of the court system during the pandemic. Survivors have not been able to address divorce or custody issues, as those courts have been closed. As a result, many survivors have felt as if they cannot leave their situation until these issues can be addressed. Further, many cases have been delayed because of the pandemic, which is resulting in a backlog which may take months or years to catch up on. OLO Recommendations The COVID-19 pandemic is an urgent health crisis, but the social and economic impacts will remain for years. Government assistance, at all levels, has been a lifeline for many families and businesses to prevent poverty, hunger, and financial crisis. The increased demand for relief support and services during the pandemic will not disappear when the pandemic is “over.” The need for benefits will continue for many years. OLO recommends the following for Council action to address the long-term impact of the pandemic. 1. Request that County social service programs, to be determined, collect data on clients accessing programs by gender, race, and location in order to help determine which residents/areas of the County require aid and resources. 2. Request that the Executive expand County mental health programs and support, with particular focus on the availability of more affordable and culturally competent programs and services. 3. Engage in future targeted, in-depth, and long-term discussions on social and economic system challenges that affect women, especially Women of Color and immigrant women, to ensure funding and program investments in these areas have equitable outcomes: healthcare, childcare, domestic violence services, housing, transportation, and employment. For the full OLO report on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women, go to https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/olo/. ii OLO Report 2021-9: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Women Table of Contents Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................... i 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 1 2. Employment, Childcare and Economic Insecurity Research ................................................ 5 3. County Operations and Data for Employment, Childcare, and Economic Insecurity......... 28 4. Women’s Health and Domestic Violence Research............................................................ 38 5. County Operations and Data for Health Services and Domestic Violence ......................... 58 6. Stakeholder Observations ................................................................................................... 66 7. Findings and Recommendations ......................................................................................... 73 8. Agency Comments .............................................................................................................. 86 Chapter 1. Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic not only created a worldwide public health emergency but also magnified pre-existing inequities across marginalized groups. The economic and social impacts of COVID-19 have been borne disproportionately by women, especially low-income women, Women of Color, women in immigrant populations, teen girls and single mothers. COVID-19 has exposed the vulnerabilities in social, political, and economic systems and deepened pre-existing gender inequalities. Specifically, it has: • Decimated industries where women made up the majority of the workforce; • Caused widespread economic insecurity (including housing, food, transportation), especially by women who are generally earning less, saving less, and holding insecure jobs or living close to poverty; • Decreased
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