AMA VICDOC Spring 2023 - Magazine - Page 21
R
esearch suggests during
times of crisis such as the
COVID-19 pandemic,
the challenges and burdens
faced by women are exacerbated
with women’s economic security,
participation in formal employment,
political representation, health
outcomes and educational achievement
negatively impacted, and more so
than men.
Women’s actual experiences back
up the research. Australian women
made up the majority of those who
lost their jobs during the initial
stages of the COVID-19 pandemic
and recorded a large fall in hours
worked. While 60 per cent of jobs
created since May 2020 have been
filled by women, the literature
suggests that the pandemic is likely
to have more long-term negative
implications for women than men.
This is due to the financial and
public health impact from women
participating less in the workforce
during COVID-19 (and hence having
poorer health outcomes/poorer health
outcomes for their families), and the
compounding effect of career breaks
and gender-based discrimination on
career progression.
Within the healthcare sector,
nearly four in five healthcare
workers on the frontline tasked
with managing the pandemic were
women, increasing their exposure
and potentially their family members
to the virus. As pandemic-related
work responsibilities increased,
women were more likely to
manage increased childcare and
schooling obligations, coupled
with disproportionate household
responsibilities, even among dual
earning couples.
COVID-19 has not only exposed
the comparative circumstances of
women but has exacerbated the gender
gap. Having been re-engaged in the
workforce post COVID, women have
lost superannuation contributions,
wages and borne the brunt of family
responsibility stressors (including
domestic violence).
The EIDC was established in
2017 and provides the AMA with
a forum for the identification and
consideration of equity issues. It is
tasked with developing policy and
initiatives targeted towards enhancing
equity and addressing inequitable and
discriminatory practices that exist in
the medical profession.
At its last meeting for 2020,
AMA Federal Council discussed the
impact of COVID-19 on women in
the workforce and passed a motion
calling on the Commonwealth
Government to:
1Recognise the disproportionate
and negative impact of COVID-19
on women in workforce.
2Ensure that strategies to achieve
gender equity are at the centre of
national COVID-19 recovery plans.
3Commit to support gender equity
by providing funding to increase
access to:
» equal and reasonable paid
parental and carers leave
entitlements for each parent
to empower men to seek an
equal share of the parenting
responsibility
» f lexible work arrangements
for each parent, so that
women can participate in the
workforce without comparative
disadvantage
» domestic and family violence
support (including 10 days
paid leave)
» f lexible and affordable childcare
so that parents can return
the workplace.
The Gender Equality Act 2020
passed in Victoria provides the AMA
with an opportunity to advocate
for measures to improve gender
equity within public hospitals and
the community more broadly. We
hope this is a mechanism to monitor
change, beginning in Victoria and
extending to other jurisdictions.
The AMA Equity Inclusion and
Diversity Committee will continue to
advocate in this area and collaborate
with like-minded organisations with
a view to affecting real change.
PULSE
The COVID-19
pandemic had a
disproportionately
negative impact
on employment for
Australian women.
Nearly 4 in 5 frontline
healthcare workers
managing COVID
were women.
The AMA is
advocating for
measures to improve
gender equity within
public hospitals.
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