NI COVID-19 Feminist Recovery Plan: Relaunch - One Year On July 2021 Contact: Rachel Powell Women’s Sector Lobbyist [email protected] Contents WPG COVID-19 Feminist Recovery Plan - Relaunch One Year On ............................................. 5 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................ 5 WPG COVID-19 Supplementary Report – Women’s Voices at the Core of Recovery .. 6 COVID-19 and Gender - Overview ................................................................................................................ 9 Evidence and Recommendations ............................................................................................................. 16 Key Quantitative Findings from WPG Primary Research ............................................................. 17 1. Economic Justice Pillar .............................................................................................................................. 20 1.1 Overview of the Economic Impact of COVID-19 ......................................................................... 20 1.1.1 Global Economic Data .......................................................................................................................... 20 1.1.2 UK and Northern Ireland Economic Data ...............................................................................27 1.2 Women’s Employment and Gender Pay Gap Reporting ..................................................... 42 1.2.1 Women’s employment in Northern Ireland ......................................................................... 43 1.2.2 Insecure and Low Paid Work – The Gender Dimension ............................................... 44 1.2.3 The Gender Pay Gap and Pay Inequalities ............................................................................ 45 1.2.4 Gender Pay Gap Reporting Legislation .................................................................................. 48 1.2.5 The Motherhood Penalty .................................................................................................................. 50 1.2.6 Family Leave frameworks ................................................................................................................. 52 1.2.7 Flexible Working ..................................................................................................................................... 53 1.2.8 Parental Leave ......................................................................................................................................... 54 1.2.9 Paternity Leave ........................................................................................................................................ 55 1.2.10 Sex Discrimination .............................................................................................................................. 56 1.2.11 Trade Union Membership and Collective Bargaining ................................................... 58 1.3 Gender Segregated Labour Markets and Care Work ............................................................. 60 1.3.1 Industrial and Occupational Segregation .............................................................................. 63 1.3.2 UK-Wide and Global Data on Segregation and Care Work ....................................... 64 1.3.3 Northern Ireland Specific Data on Segregation and the Unequal Distribution of Care Work ........................................................................................................................................................72 1.3.4 Addressing Women’s Employment and the Skills Barometer ................................ 85 1.4 Women’s Poverty and Austerity .......................................................................................................... 87 1.4.1. Universal Credit ..................................................................................................................................... 90 1.4.2. The Two-Child Limit .......................................................................................................................... 92 1.4.3. The Benefit Cap .................................................................................................................................... 93 1.4.4. The Bedroom Tax ................................................................................................................................ 94 1.4.5. Personal Independence Payment (PIP) ............................................................................... 95 1 1.4.6. Welfare Mitigations ........................................................................................................................... 95 1.4.7. Food Insecurity and Food Bank Use....................................................................................... 96 1.4.8. Destitution................................................................................................................................................ 98 1.4.9. Impact of COVID-19 ........................................................................................................................... 99 1.4.10. Investment in Social Security ................................................................................................... 100 1.5 Increasing Financial Hardship and Debt .......................................................................................105 1.5.1. Impact of COVID-19 on Financial Wellbeing and Debt.............................................. 107 1.5.2. Women and Debt ............................................................................................................................. 109 1.5.3. The Social Security System and Debt ...................................................................................... 111 1.6 Childcare ............................................................................................................................................................. 117 1.6.1 Childcare in Northern Ireland ......................................................................................................... 119 1.6.2. The Women’s Centres Childcare Fund (WCCF) ............................................................... 128 1.7 Rural Women ..................................................................................................................................................130 1.7.1 Rural Women Economy – Context .............................................................................................. 131 1.7.2 Rural Business ........................................................................................................................................ 132 1.7.3 COVID-19 and Rural Development ............................................................................................ 133 1.7.4 Rural VCSE ................................................................................................................................................ 135 1.7.5 Gender and the Rural Economy ................................................................................................. 137 1.7.6 Rural Women & the Digital Economy ..................................................................................... 137 1.7.7 Covid-19 and Rural Mental Health ............................................................................................. 138 1.8 A Feminist & Human Rights-Based Housing Recovery ...................................................... 140 1.9 A Feminist Green Economy ...................................................................................................................145 1.9.1 Why is Climate Justice a Feminist Issue? ............................................................................. 146 1.9.2 Care Work: A Key Sustainable Industry ................................................................................. 146 1.9.3 A Feminist Green New Deal for Northern Ireland .......................................................... 147 1.10 Paramilitarism, Gate Keeping and Control of Funding ...................................................... 153 2. Health Pillar ..................................................................................................................................................... 157 2.1 Mental Health Concerns due to COVID-19.................................................................................... 157 2.1.1. Social Determinants of Health ..................................................................................................... 162 2.1.2. Mental Health among Marginalised Groups..................................................................... 164 2.1.3. Women’s Centres work on Mental Health ......................................................................... 167 2.2 Women with Caring Responsibilities and Dependents ....................................................... 171 2.3 Additional Health Concerns .................................................................................................................. 176 2.3.1 Ramifications of Cancelled Cancer Screenings ................................................................178 2.3.2 Increased Waiting Lists.................................................................................................................... 179 2 2.4 Health Impacts of Austerity on Women