Are you worried about women`s mental health during Covid-19? Then look no further. We have gathered a list of up-to-date stats below that prove that your worries are true.
- Increase in depression: 83% of women compared to 36% of men are reporting significant increases in depression. (Source: axiawh.com)
Why this matters: To prevent long term effects we need to offer far more help to women. On community level, through healthcare services and as family members.
- Reasons for depression: Loneliness and isolation were identified as the main causes of depression and anxiety (73%), followed by past trauma (46%) or relationship problems (44%). Nearly half of those seeking help self-identified as girls/women between 11 to 25 years of age. (Source: journals.lww.com)
Why this matters: This study draws special attention to the challenges of an extremely young age-group.
- 57 % of women are stressed compared with 50% of men.
Especially women with children under the age of 18 are more likely to report major negative mental health impacts than their male counterparts. (Source: kff.org)
Why this matters: Especially women suffer mentally due to Covid-19. We need to be mindful about how we can support them. Furthermore we need to encourage them to ask for additional help during those stressful times.
- 41% of women said they were concerned about a lack of food compared to 30% of men. (forbes.com)
Why this matters: Especially women need to be targeted by soup kitchens and organizations who offer free food.
Women’s mental health during covid-19 – Effects On Pregnant Women
- 20% of all pregnant women infected with Covid 19 were admitted to ICU. The pooled proportion of preterm infants was 23.0 % . The most frequent neonatal complications were pneumonia and respiratory distress syndrome. The pooled percentage of infected neonates was 6.0% (Source: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Why this matters: Helps us to be mindful about the situation of pregnant mothers. Furthermore, it raises our awareness about their threat of being infected by Covid-19.
- Distress and anxiety associated with COVID-19 pregnant women in Israel
- 87.5% regarding public places and transportation
- 71.7% had concerns over the possible infection of other family members
- 68.7% going for pregnancy check-ups (
- 59.2% being infected themselves,
- 55.4% the delivery
(Source: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Why this matters: Helps us to understand that pregnant women during Covid-19 suffer of much higher stress than they would under normal conditions.
- Especially Services to vulnerable groups were significantly disrupted
- 35% Disruptions to emergency interventions, e.g. prolonged seizures; severe substance use withdrawal syndromes, delirium.
- Disruption to MNS services for vulnerable groups (% of countries) children and adolescents 72%
- older adults 70%
- women requiring antenatal or postnatal care 61%
(Source: who.int)
Why this matters: Focus on the fact that giving birth during covid-19 has special challenges for young mothers.
Economic Effects on Women
- “The economic challenge created by the coronavirus is hitting women particularly hard.” said the Canadian Finance minister Chrystia Freeland
Economic Key finding by the Royal Bank of Canada
- “The pandemic has pushed women’s participation in the labour force down to its lowest level in three decades, with 1.5 million women losing their jobs in the first two months of the recession.
- Women’s employment, which is dominant in the sectors hardest hit by the recession, has been slower to rebound as the economy reopens. Despite absorbing 51% of job losses in March and April, women accounted for just 45% of job gains in May and June as economic activity restarted.
- Women are more likely to “fall out” of the workforce. Nearly half of newly unemployed women who lost their jobs between February and May (and one third who lost jobs between February and June) were terminated and did not seek work– putting them at higher risk of long term job-separation and future wage penalties.
- Employment among women with toddlers or school aged children fell 7% between February and May compared to a decline of 4% among fathers of children the same age. Single mothers were even more significantly impacted, with employment among this cohort (with a toddler or school-aged child) down 12% from February to June (compared to a 7% decline among single fathers).
- Women accounted for ~45% of the decline in hours worked over the downturn, yet will only account for ~35% of the recovery.” (Source: thoughtleadership.rbc.com)
Why this matters: Government support programs need to address this issue urgently.
- In the U.S., from February to May, 11.5 million women were laid off compared to 9 million men. (Source: time.com)
Why this matters: Another proof for the ongoing equality between men and women in the job market.
- Income Loss 55% of women experienced some sort of income loss in relation to Covid-19. This compared to 34% of men. (forbes.com)
Why this matters: Further analysis needs to be done to improve the situation of working women long-term and thus give women more economic stability and independence.
Women’s mental health during covid-19 – The Burden of Extra Housework
- In Canada men reported an average of 33 hours per week spent on child care prior to the pandemic compared to 46 hours during the pandemic. Women reported spending 68 hours on child care on average in a given week before COVID-19 struck, and 95 hours thereafter. (Source: theconversation.com)
Why this matters: There is a huge inequality in terms of work shared that needs to be addressed especially in the media. The reason is not only one of equality but mainly because kids need both parents equally.
- In the U.S., 55% of employed women do housework compared to 18% of men. Women tend to spend twice the amount of time with their children than men do. (Source: time.com)
Why this matters: See above
- Violence against women increased during lockdown from 4.4 to 14.8%. Psychological violence seemed to be the most frequent type. Indeed, virtually all those who were abused (96%) experienced psychological (emotional) violence, followed by economic (41%) and then physical violence (10%). (Source: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Why this matters: Do stay at home orders reflect the risks for women?
Women’s mental health during covid-19 2022
14. 60% of 18- to 34-year-old women say their mental health has worsened, while 63 per cent of those 35 to 54 note the same. (source: angusreid.org)
Why this matters:
- 15. Compared to men Canadian women report that their lives are a lot worse than two years ago.
A Word From healthylifestyleflorida.com
Stats show that women’s mental health during covid-19 is very concerning. Luckily, women tend to be resilient. But discussions about the conditions that created precarity and inequality in the first place, and the responsibility of the state and society for addressing them, cannot be denied any longer.
Recommended for you: How to raise resilient super healthy kids and Raising Successful Kids
