Getting Women Past the Pandemic Finish Line
Welcome back Chaise Lounge readers and a hearty welcome to our newest subscribers! If you haven’t subscribed yet, please do! And if you like this week’s newsletter, please share it widely. That’s best way to help me build readership and our community. This week’s article is a deep dive into the ways that the pandemic has affected women as frontline workers and the work we need to do as a country to recover.
Global News
Tampons are no longer available in Mexico City due to a single-use plastics ban. Mexico City Environment Minister Mariana Robles says that the tampons are “not really essential.” However, there does not appear to be a replacement product with a cardboard applicator. Women in Mexico City resent being told how to manage their periods. Come on folks, it seems like this is an issue that can be resolved without depriving women of an important product.
National News
On Jan. 24, Puerto Rico’s newly elected governor, Pedro R. Pierluisi, declared a state of emergency on gender-based violence. According to the Washington Post, “It helps protect women who have filed restraining orders, calls for the creation of a mobile app for women who feel threatened, and launches a media campaign to educate the public. It establishes a committee that includes advocacy groups, and it appoints a compliance officer to monitor progress. The order also calls for better statistics and secures pipelines of money, a key component in this financially strapped U.S. territory.”
NY Attorney General is suing anti-abortion protesters for violent behavior at the Manhattan clinic. The lawsuit claims that in June 2020, Beatty (protester) became violent during a demonstration at the clinic when she "slammed a staff member’s hand in the door, causing her to need x-rays; repeatedly shoved a clinic volunteer attempting to enter the clinic; slapped a different volunteer in the face; and threatened to knock an escort unconscious."
During last week’s Super Bowl, we saw three women make history. Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant defensive line coach Lori Locust and assistant strength and conditioning coach Maral Javadifar are the first women coaches to win at the Super Bowl. And down judge Sarah Thomas was the first woman to officiate in a Super Bowl. Congratulations to all three women for breaking a new barrier!
Getting Women Past the Pandemic Finish Line
The pandemic unmasked many societal problems that we have long known existed yet ignored. Many of these issues like lack of access to childcare, paid leave, and not being paid a living wage create a greater burden on frontline workers, the majority of whom are women, especially women of color. Leaders can no longer avoid these issues. They have an opportunity to look beyond their company, neighborhood, or political districts and make decisions that contribute toward healthier communities and economies.
“Other countries have social safety nets. The U.S. has women,” Jessica Calarco, sociologist.
But first, we must make our way out of the pandemic, and to do that, we must take care of frontline workers in a manner that our society has never done. As the sociologist, Jessica Calarco says, “Other countries have social safety nets. The U.S. has women.” American leadership must make this simple statement that holds so much truth, obsolete. While many of these policies are not new ideas, the pandemic has demonstrated just how imperative they are to have a society that works for everyone.
Paid Leave is a necessity, not a nicety
Frontline workers continue to be exposed to the virus on a daily basis. With two-thirds of frontline workers being women, the pandemic is grossly affecting women’s health and income. Women are contracting the virus at higher rates than men in almost all states across the country and as a result, losing income and jobs at an astounding rate. And while men have a higher rate of mortality when contracting COVID, women make up 60-80% of COVID long haulers.
Many employers have made some changes to protect workers with plexiglass barriers and the provision of masks, but the chance of exposure is high, especially when customers do not always wear masks. The majority of frontline workers have no paid leave meaning that when they do feel ill, many workers still show up to work because they cannot afford not to. In a study in Toronto, researchers found through contact tracing, that one in four cases of COVID came about as a result of a worker going to work sick. They also found that the rate of infection for those in lower-income jobs was twice that of those in higher-income jobs. Income is the leading determinant of health. The situation in the United States is quite similar.
In March 2020, Congress passed the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act (FFCRA) granting two weeks of paid sick leave to workers who needed to take time off for illness or to care for a family member with COVID. A study by Stefan Pichler, Katherine Wen, and Nicolas Ziebarth found that “Compared with the control group and relative to the pre-FFCRA period, states that gained access to paid sick leave through the FFCRA saw around 400 fewer confirmed cases per state per day.” Clearly, the paid leave was making a positive difference. That act expired at the end of 2020, but the protections would be reinstated if President Biden’s COVID Stimulus package is passed.
Challenges to getting vaccinated
When it comes to actually obtaining the vaccine, many of the same problems persist. Workers need to take time off to get the vaccination. But there are other barriers as well. Many vaccine clinics only operate during typical workday hours, so it can be difficult for workers to be able to get a shot after hours. Then there are the childcare and transportation issues that interfere. Additionally, many workers live in rural areas where there is a lack of access to vaccines. If we are serious about getting to herd immunity, public health officials must look at all of the barriers and plan accordingly.
Restaurant workers are at great risk
The CDC reported in September 2020 that adults are twice as likely to contract the virus after eating in a restaurant. This fact, of course, means that restaurant workers are at high risk of contracting the virus as well. Forty-four percent of restaurant workers report that one or more of their co-workers has contracted COVID. Like most other frontline workers, restaurant workers do not have access to paid leave.
Because servers are tipped employees, they are in an impossible situation. If they insist that customers wear masks while they are served, they know that their tips will suffer. Some customers have become aggressive and insulting when asked to mask while not eating. With their pay being primarily dependent on tips, most servers take the chance and do not demand that customers comply.
According to a report by One Fair Wage, 40% of restaurant workers report an increase in sexual harassment during the pandemic. Male customers are telling female servers to lower their masks so they can judge their looks to decide on their tips. Those servers who refuse are subjected to verbal abuse.
Sixty percent of tipped workers report they are unable to access unemployment insurance because their subminimum wage was too low to meet minimum state thresholds for benefits qualification. Think about that. These workers are working full-time for years, and then when an international pandemic arrives, they are told they cannot access the safety net available to other workers. This perfect storm of heightened harassment, high rates of exposure to COVID, and gross underpayment means that restaurant workers need additional consideration in any type of relief package.
Of course, raising the minimum wage for restaurant workers is the obvious solution to most of these issues. If servers are not worried about their tips, they can request that patrons mask without concern for retribution through a lack of tip. And women servers will likely see less sexual harassment by patrons as well. The fact that restaurant workers do not qualify for unemployment benefits in many states despite working full time is a sign that something is terribly wrong with this system.
The childcare industry needs more help than the stimulus bill
Before the pandemic, the childcare sector of the economy was already living on borrowed time. Once again, the frontline workers in this industry are primarily women. While the COVID stimulus bill being considered does give a $15 billion dollar block grant to the industry, we must look at supporting childcare centers for the long term. Many of those providing childcare are solo businesses run by women who have little savings. The margins are low and any money made gets put right back into the business. This is a long-term issue that needs long-term solutions.
“The U.S. economy cannot fully recover without bailing out women,” Lyz Lenz.
As we look toward a brighter future when the majority of people are immunized, we must use what we have learned about the gaping holes in our societal infrastructure to build more sustainable work conditions for those who are essential to our communities. If the Biden Coronavirus Stimulus package is passed, it will make a huge difference in all American’s lives, but especially for women. But many of the provisions in the package expire at the end of September or December. The need for paid leave, an increase in the minimum wage, and support for the nation’s child care system are needed for the long term. As Lyz Lenz says, “The U.S. economy cannot fully recover without bailing out women.” The pandemic teaches us that we cannot go back to the way it was. We know where the holes in those safety nets are and must work toward not only mending them but creating stronger nets made of kevlar rope rather than yarn.
I didn't realize that many restaurant workers are unable to access public assistance during the pandemic.