Collected Data for International Women's Day 2021

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Women in the Shadow of the Coronavirus: Collected Data for International Women’s Day 2021 סקירה

כתיבה: עדו אבגר | אישור: אורלי אלמגור לוטן תאריך: כ"ג באדר תשפ"א, 7 במרץ 2021

הכנסת – מרכז המחקר והמידע www.knesset.gov.il/mmm

Women in the Shadow of the Coronavirus: Compiled Data in Advance of Women’s Day 2021

Table of Contents

1. Physical and Mental Health ...... 2

1.1 COVID-19 from a gender perspective ...... 2

1.2 Fear of Contracting the Virus, Loneliness, and Stress and Anxiety ...... 4

1.2.1 Inquiries for Emotional Support during the Coronavirus Epidemic ...... 5

1.2.2 Inquiries to the HMOs for Emotional Support ...... 5

1.3 Screening Tests ...... 7

2. Employment ...... 8

2.1 Employment and Unemployment by Gender ...... 9

2.2 Dismissal of women protected by law and reducing their hours ...... 11

2.3 Government Grants for Self-Employed Persons ...... 11

2.4 Work from Home ...... 12

2.5 Housework ...... 13

.3 Personal Safety and Victimization ...... 15

3.1 Domestic Violence ...... 17

Looking Ahead ...... 19

Sources ...... 20

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The coronavirus pandemic erupted approximately one year ago. It had (and still has) far-reaching health, financial, and social ramifications, some of which may be long-lasting. Even though every sector of society has been affected by the pandemic some way, there are differences between them in the effects they have felt.

In advance of International Women’s Day, the Knesset Research and Information Center collected data from various spheres in which the pandemic's impact may have differed between women and men:* physical and mental health, employment, and personal safety. We should note that the challenges Israel faces are no different from those faced by other countries, and the differential impact of the pandemic on men and women in these arenas emerged in other countries, as well.1

* In this document, terms related to gender ("man" and "woman") will also be used when distinguishing between the sexes ("male" and "female"). www.knesset.gov.il/mmm The Knesset—Research and Information Center

1. Physical and Mental Health 1.1 COVID-19 from a gender perspective2

Through February 22nd 2021, there have been 5,585 coronavirus deaths in Israel.

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Among the deceased aged 80 and older, the number of men and women is nearly identical, but while women aged 80 and older make up nearly two-thirds of female coronavirus deaths, males aged 80 and older make up less than half of all the male deceased. In this context, it is important to note that differences exist in the life expectancies of men and women and that women comprise 60% of the population aged 80 and older.

th Of the persons vaccinated by February 18 2021, the number of women vaccinated is comparable to their percentage in the general population (ages 16 and older). The data on first-dose vaccinations are similarly split.

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1.2 Fear of Contracting the Virus, Loneliness, and Stress and Anxiety

Throughout 2020, the Central Bureau of Statistics conducted several studies that examined different aspects of civil resilience.

The rates of women reporting feelings of loneliness, stress and anxiety, and fear of contracting the virus during the pandemic were higher than the corresponding rates among men in the study.3

In European Union countries, women have also reported having higher levels of stress, loneliness, and depression than men, as well as lower levels of optimism about their futures.4

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1.2.1 Inquiries for Emotional Support during the Coronavirus Epidemic In July 2020, the Ministry of Health, along with the Israeli HMOs, developed a plan for providing emotional support via telephone during the pandemic, whereby every person is entitled to three phone calls to receive emotional support from mental health professionals. These conversations provide the caller with emotional support as well as tools for dealing with the fears, uncertainties, and stress created by the pandemic. In response to a query from the Research and Information Center, the Ministry of Health reported that the HMOs rolled out his service during July and August 2020 and that 13,000 calls had been received by the end of 2020. The Ministry did not have data broken down by gender.

The Maccabi, Meuhedet, and Leumit HMOs granted us access to data broken down by gender regarding the people they insure who requested this service. According to the data, the majority of callers were women.5

*People insured by Maccabi Healthcare Services, Meuhedet Health Maintenance Organization, and Leumit Health Care. 1.2.2 Inquiries to the HMOs for Emotional Support

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According to data provided by Clalit Healthcare Services, Israel's largest HMO, around 60% of first visits by new patients (people who had not received mental health treatment since 2015) to mental healthcare clinics due to depression or anxiety (including the first intake meeting) in 2019 and 2020 were women.

*People insured by Clalit Healthcare Services

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Between January and August 2020, there was a small decrease (−3%) in the number of visits of new patients in comparison to those months in the previous year. However, between September and December 2020, the number of new patient visits increased by 10% compared to the same months in the previous year. The breakdown of the data by gender shows the most notable change was among women—a decrease of around 5% for the period January–August and an increase of 13% between September and December, as opposed to increases of 1% and 5% among men, for the respective periods.6

In this regard, Clalit Healthcare Services stated in December 2020 that the mental healthcare system is characterized by lengthy wait times and therefore a long period of time may pass between a patient’s request and actual visit to the clinic, and that there had been a gradual increase in requests over the previous several months.7 A similar trend arises from the response from Maccabi Healthcare Services. Although this latter response did not include data, it did mention that at the beginning of the pandemic there was not a meaningful increase in the number of patients in Maccabi’s mental health departments, however as the crisis evolved, there was a gradual increase in the number of patients, including new patients.8 1.3 Screening Tests One of the main arenas where we sought to examine the effects of the coronavirus is preventative medicine, specifically screening tests for the early detection of illnesses. We were informed by Maccabi Healthcare Services and Meuhedet Health Maintenance Organization that there has been a decrease in performing screening tests during the pandemic, and specifically during Israel's first lockdown, which was imposed to stop the spread of the virus.9 Leumit Healthcare Services provided us with gender-segmented data regarding the completion of various screening tests in comparison to previous years.10

* the variations in the number of occult blood tests and colonoscopies followed similar patterns for both men and women, and therefore the figures for both sexes are presented together.

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2. Employment The coronavirus pandemic and the measures taken to try to prevent its spread have had significant ramifications for the labor market. In Israel, as in other countries, gender differences are characteristic of the labor market—both in terms of employment patterns of men and women (and specifically the number of working hours) and the existence of entire sectors characterized by an abundance of either male or female employees. Therefore, the coronavirus has had differing effects on men and women in the job market.

Women make up the majority of employees in the health sector, which places them at a higher risk of contracting the coronavirus.11

Women make up two thirds of healthcare workers worldwide, including 85% of nurses and midwives.12

There is a notable majority of female employees in other sectors, which are characterized by frequent interactions between employees and other people—which may increase the risk of contracting the virus.13

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The dominant presence of women in the education and sales sectors helps explain the large ratio of women who were dismissed or furloughed due to the restrictions imposed on these sectors as part of the efforts against the spread of the coronavirus, as detailed below. 2.1 Employment and Unemployment by Gender The restrictions placed on the economy in the attempt to curb the outbreak of the coronavirus have led to hundreds of thousands of workers being dismissed or sent on unpaid leave. According to data provided by the National Insurance Institute of Israel, women were dismissed or sent on unpaid leave at higher rates than men, both in the first wave of dismissals (March–April 2020) and in the second wave (September 2020). At the same time, the return-to-work rate between the lockdowns was higher among women. The percentage of employees that have not returned to work since the first lockdown was similar among men and women.14

*Of those employed in 2019, including those sent on unpaid leave.

Data from the European Union on employment loss during the coronavirus pandemic also indicate higher rates of job loss among women than men. This contrasts with the first wave of dismissals in the wake of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, when the percentage of dismissals among men was higher.15

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Measuring the dismissal rates by employment sector suggests that in all the sectors—those mostly employing men as well as those mostly employing women—the rate of women dismissed or sent on unpaid leave out of all the employed women was higher than the parallel rate of men.16 This means that the higher rate of dismissals among women did not stem from the divisions between the sectors (although it may have stemmed from a division of work within the sectors).

*Including employees sent on unpaid leave; of those employed in 2019.

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2.2 Dismissal of women protected by law and reducing their hours Pregnant and postpartum women constitute a particularly vulnerable group of employed persons. For this reason, legislation has restricted employers' ability to dismiss or hurt female employees' position or income during pregnancy, during birth and parental leave and for some time thereafter, and while undergoing fertility treatments. To dismiss a woman during these times or reduce her hours or salary, an employer must obtain permission from the Minister of Labor, Social Affairs and Social Services.

The restrictions placed upon economic activities brought about a significant increase in the number of requests for such permission that were filed between the beginning of the crisis and the end of January 2021.17

2.3 Government Grants for Self-Employed Persons As part of the aid plan for addressing the coronavirus crisis, government grants have been given to self- employed persons and small businesses.

The rate of women receiving the grants is similar to their percentage among the self- employed.

The percentage of the grant money awarded to women— which is affected by previous income—was at a slightly lower rate.18

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2.4 Work from Home During the coronavirus crisis there has been a significant increase in the amount of work executed from employees’ homes due to the closure of workplaces and educational institutions and the restrictions on movement that were imposed on the population. Working from home allows for flexibility, which can allow for a better work–life balance and provide some working parents with a partial solution to their challenges during the coronavirus crisis. However, this is not a viable solution for all workers; among those left out are essential workers, such as healthcare workers (the majority of whom, as previously mentioned, are women). In addition, working from home may blur the boundaries between the time spent doing paid work and the time spent on household chores, a situation that could potentially create an excessive burden, which may fall on women's shoulders, as—in general—they perform the majority of the childcare and housework.19

Below are data from the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics on housework in the months of October 2020 (the second lockdown) and December 2020 (prior to the third lockdown).20

Most workers who work from fewer hours than men:

During both periods, women were the minority among the employed but the majority among those working from home. In addition, the average number of hours per week spent working from home was higher among men than women, paralleling the difference between men and women in the average number of total working hours. In October, when both men and women worked more hours from home, the gap between men and women in terms of hours worked from home decreased.

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2.5 Housework

A substantial amount of the time spent on domestic chores in OECD countries is devoted to childcare, and here, too, women spend twice as much time as men do (as is the case in caring for the elderly).21

Though Israel is not included in the OECD data presented here, Israeli women also carry most of the domestic workload. According to the 2019 data from the Central Bureau of Statistics, in two-thirds of Israeli families where both partners work, the woman is exclusively responsible for laundry, the woman is exclusively responsible for cooking in nearly 60% of such families, and she is exclusively responsible for cleaning chores in more than half of such families. Although most couples share the responsibilities of childcare, 20% of women are exclusively responsible for childcare as compared to only 1% of men.22

The OECD report estimated that the coronavirus crisis will increase the burden on women in this regard, as the closing of educational and childcare facilities increases the time needed at home for childcare and education and as the prolonged stay at home increases the scope of other chores as well, such as cleaning and cooking. The higher risk that the coronavirus poses to older family members may also add to the increase in daily chores.23

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In Israel, a survey done by researchers from the University of Haifa in households where both partners were employed, found that the additional hours spent on domestic chores in the first lockdown were not divided equally between men and women.24

Findings from other countries also suggest that the increased time invested in household chores during the coronavirus has been divided unequally between men and women; this increase which widened the existing gap between men's and women's unpaid working hours by an additional 50%. In addition, women reported having difficulty integrating their work requirements and domestic chores to a greater extent than did men.25

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3. Personal Safety and Victimization The coronavirus crisis has seen changes in women's personal safety and sense of security. These changes have emphasized the difference between the public sphere—where indications suggest an improvement in women’s safety and sense of security—and the domestic sphere—where violence against women has become more serious.

According to the Crime Victimization Survey conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics, women reported that they were the victims of various offenses less frequently during the coronavirus pandemic (April–June 2020) than during the same period in 2019.26

*This question does not distinguish between violence within the home and outside of it.

Police data on the opening of new cases, in addition to data provided by the Ministry of Health on visits to the "acute rooms" (emergency room units for the care of sexual assault victims) at five hospitals, suggest a decreased number of reports of sex crimes.

27 www.knesset.gov.il/mmm The Knesset—Research and Information Center

Percentage of women who feel safe to walk alone after dark during the coronavirus pandemic.28

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3.1 Domestic Violence Domestic violence, and particularly violence against women, tends to grow more serious during times of crisis and stress. During the coronavirus pandemic, Israel imposed restrictions on people's movement in an attempt to mitigate the spread of the virus; this led people to remain home for prolonged periods without leaving for school, work, or leisure. The financial, social, and psychological ramifications of these restrictions, along with the uncertainty and the fear of the other health risks the crisis imposes, may contribute to the outbreak and increase of violence towards women.29 The data presented below suggest that there was an increase in intimate partner violence during the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the Ministry of Social Affairs, it is plausible that the considerable increase in the number of inquiries it received in May and June 2020 is related to the media campaign which ran at the time to raise awareness of the helpline.30

Sampling by the ministry indicates an increase of 25%–30% in the number of calls to domestic violence prevention centers during the coronavirus pandemic. The largest rise was in referrals that originated with the police.31

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There was also an increase in the number of case files opened for intimate partner violence.32

*Each police case file may contain several offenses.

Other countries have also noted an increase in reports of domestic violence during the year of the coronavirus crisis.33

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Looking Ahead The data presented here does not provide a comprehensive view of the effects of the coronavirus on women in Israel, and it is still too soon to examine the long-term effects of the crisis. However, even the partial view provided by the data makes it clear that the pandemic has affected women—and will continue to affect them—differently from men. Consequently, the importance of integrating a gender perspective increases in formulating the policy for dealing with the virus and exiting the crisis.

As a result, various international organizations—including the UN, the OECD, and the European Parliament—are calling for the adoption of a gender sensitive approach in shaping the policy for dealing with the crisis and the strategy for emerging from it. Such an approach would take into account the inequalities and the gender gaps which were expressed and exacerbated during the crisis. These organizations have expressed their concern that if a gender perspective is not integrated into the decision- making process, the progress that has been made worldwide in recent decades in advancing the status of women may be halted. In such a case, not only will gender inequality not decrease, but it may increase instead.34 Due to the importance of this issue, the UN has chosen to make it a central point of discussion during the 2021 International Women’s Day, which will be devoted to the subject of Women in leadership: Achieving an equal Future in a COVID-19 world.35

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Sources

1 European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), COVID-19 and gender equality, accessed: January 20th 2021; European Parliament, Policy Department for Citizens' Rights and Constitutional Affairs Directorate-General for Internal Policies, The gendered impact of the COVID-19 crisis and post-crisis period, study requested by the FEMM Committee, September 2020; OECD, OECD Employment Outlook 2020 : Worker Security and the COVID-19 Crisis, Box 1.3. Women on all fronts during the COVID-19 crisis, 2020; idem, Women at the core of the fight against COVID- 19 crisis, April 2020.

2 Morbidity: Ministry of Health BI system, tested by sex, ill by sex, deceased by sex, produced on February 3rd, 2021, 18:00; hospitalized by sex, produced by February 22nd, 2021, 20:00 [Hebrew]; death rate: Ministry of Health, Cases and deaths dashboard, deceased by age and gender, last update: February 22nd 2021 at 09:19 [Hebrew]; vaccinations: Ministry of Health BI system, first-dose vaccination and second-dose vaccination by gender, produced on February 18th 2020 at 20:00 [Hebrew]; population data: processing of data from the Central Bureau of Statistics, Statistical Abstract of Israel 2020—Number 71, table 2.3 Population, by population group, religion, sex and age, September 15th, 2020. 3 Central Bureau of Statistics, Well-being indicators in Israel during the coronavirus pandemic—Selected data, 2020, December 22nd 2020, p. 16 [Hebrew]; Civil Resilience During the Coronavirus Crisis (1), May 7th 2020; Civil Resilience During the Coronavirus Crisis (2), May 26th 2020; Civil Resilience During the Coronavirus Crisis (3), July 26th 2020; Civil Resilience During the Coronavirus Crisis (4), November 16th 2020 [Hebrew].

4 European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), The coronavirus crisis: An emerging gender divide?, March 2nd 2021.

5 Tali Tesler, Supervisor of Government Relations, Spokesperson and Government Relations Department, Maccabi Healthcare Services, response to query from the Research and Information Center, letter, February 16th 2020 [Hebrew]; Mira Aharoni, Administrator for Public Inquiries and Regulation, Medical Division, Meuhedet HMO, response to query from the Research and Information Center, letter, February 28th 2021 [Hebrew].

6 Noa Danai, Head of Information and Knowledge Management Department and Freedom of Information Law Supervisor at Clalit HMO, response to query from the Research and Information Center, letter, December 20th 2020; idem, email, January 31st 2021.

7 Idem, email, December 20th 2020.

8 Tali Tesler, Supervisor of Government Relations, Spokesperson and Government Relations Department, Maccabi Healthcare Services, response to query from the Research and Information Center, letter, February 16th 2020 [Hebrew]. 9 Mira Aharoni, Administrator for Public Inquiries and Regulation, Medical Division, Meuhedet HMO, response to query from the Research and Information Center, presentation, February 28th 2021 [Hebrew].

10 Professor Shlomo Vinker, Head of Medical Division at Leumit Healthcare Services, response to query from the Research and Information Center, letter, February 22nd 2020 [Hebrew].

11 Ministry of Health, Manpower in Health Professions 2019, July 2020, pp. 20, 111, 127 [Hebrew]; OECD, OECD Employment Outlook 2020: "Worker security and the COVID-19 crisis," Box 1.3. Women on all fronts during the COVID-19 crisis, 2020.

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12 OECD, OECD Employment Outlook 2020: "Worker Security and the COVID-19 Crisis," Box 1.3. Women on all fronts during the COVID-19 crisis, 2020.

13 Central Bureau of Statistics, Statistical Abstract of Israel 2020 - No.71, Table 9.12 Employed Persons and Employees, by Industry, Population Group and Sex; idem, Table 9.18 Employed Persons and Employees by Occupation, Population Group and Sex, July 26th 2020.

14 Miri Endweld and Oren Heller, National Insurance Institute, Research and Planning Administration, The coronavirus crisis: Characteristics of unemployed and employed persons returning to the labor market in the first wave, and unemployed persons in the second wave, December 2020 [Hebrew].

15 European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), The coronavirus crisis: An emerging gender divide?, 2 March 2021.

16 Oren Heller, National Insurance Institute, Research and Planning Administration, response to query from the Research and Information Center, "Percentage of people in each of the groups accepting unemployment payment in 2020 out of the employed people of 2019, by industry and gender," February 10th 2021 [Hebrew].

17 Alina Shvartzman, Coordinator for Professional Matters, Division for Spokesmanship and International Relations, Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Social Services, response to query from the Research and Information Center, email, February 3rd 2021 [Hebrew]; Dan Cohen, student—Knesset and Government Relations, Division for Spokesmanship and International Relations, Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Social Services, response to query from the Research and Information Center, email, February 8th 2021 [Hebrew].

18 Prime Minister's Office, Cross-sector Roundtable for Women's Needs during the Coronavirus Crisis, Table of measures of women's needs during the coronavirus crisis—August 2020 (data from Tax Authority), August 2020 [Hebrew]; Rafaela Cohen, Director of Insurance and Tax Collection Research, National Insurance Institute, response to query from the Research and Information Center, email, June 9th 2020 [Hebrew].

19 International Labor Organization, Teleworking during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond: A practical guide, July 2020, p. 18; OECD, Women at the core of the fight against COVID-19 crisis, April 2020, p. 15.

20 Central Bureau of Statistics, "Table 11—Employed and salaried men and women (excluding those temporarily absent from work all week), average work hours per week, by industry and profession and working from home, original data, September–December 2020," provided by Mark Feldman, Deputy Director of Senior Microeconomic Department, Central Bureau of Statistics, email, February 8th 2021 [Hebrew].

21 OECD, Women at the core of the fight against COVID-19 crisis, April 2020, p. 2, 4–5; OECD Database: Employment: Time spent in paid and unpaid work, by sex, retrieved: March 2nd 2021.

22 Central Bureau of Statistics, "Selected data from the 2019 Social Survey: Integration family life and career & division of household labour between the spouses"—Figure 5: Distribution of household responsibility between spouses, percentage, 2019, July 21st 2020 [Hebrew].

23 OECD, Women at the core of the fight against COVID-19 crisis, April 2020, p. 2, 4–5.

24 Efrat Herzberg-Druker, Meir Yaish and Tali Kristal, Family and work in times of crisis: Israel during the Coronavirus pandemic, University of Haifa, 2020 [Hebrew]. The findings are based on the results of an online survey conducted on a sample that is not necessarily representative of Israeli society. Tali Kristal and Meir Yaish, Does the coronavirus pandemic level the gender inequality curve? (It doesn’t), Research in Social Stratification and Mobility 68, August 2020.

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25 European Parliament, Policy Department for Citizens' Rights and Constitutional Affairs Directorate-General for Internal Policies, The gendered impact of the COVID-19 crisis and post-crisis period, study requested by the FEMM committee, September 2020, p. 32–33.

26 Central Bureau of Statistics, Findings from the personal security survey during the coronavirus crisis 2020, December 16th 2020 [Hebrew].

27 Prime Minister's Office, Cross-sector Roundtable for Women's Needs during the Coronavirus Crisis, Table of measures of women's needs during the coronavirus crisis—August 2020, (data from the Israel Police and the Ministry of Health), August 2020 [Hebrew]. 28 Central Bureau of Statistics, Social and economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic—summary (part 2) March–August 2020, September 2020, pp. 14-15 [Hebrew].

29 OECD, Women at the core of the fight against COVID-19 crisis, 1 April 2020; WHO, COVID-19 and violence against women, What the health sector/system can do, 26 March 2020. 30 Ayala Meir, Director of the Families, Children and Adolescents in the Community Department in the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, and Social Services, phone call, November 12th 2020 [Hebrew]; Efrat Iris Ben Oz, Supervisor of the 118 Call Center, Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Social Services, phone call, November 16th, 2020 [Hebrew].

31 Ayala Meir, Director of the Families, Children and Adolescents in the Community Department in the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, and Social Services, response to query from the Research and Information Center, letter, November 2nd 2020 [Hebrew].

32 Processed data from the Israel Police Department of Planning and Strategy provided by Gal Yona, Office Manager in the Public Security Minister’s office, response to query from the Research and Information Center, email, October 27th 2020 [Hebrew]. 33 EIGE, COVID-19 and gender equality: Gender-based violence, retrieved March 3rd 2021; European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), COVID-19: The need for a gendered response, February 2021, p. 7; OECD, Women at the core of the fight against COVID-19 crisis, 1 April 2020.

34 European Parliament, Resolution on the gender perspective in the COVID-19 crisis and post-crisis period, January 21st 2021; European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), Covid-19: The need for a gendered response, February 2021; OECD, Women at the core of the fight against COVID-19 crisis, April 2020; UN Secretary-General, Policy Brief: The impact of COVID-19 on women, April 9th 2020.

35 UN Women, International Women’s Day 2021 theme – “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID- 19 world”, 10 November 2020.

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