Women in north disproportionately hit by ‘pandemic’s financial fallout’

Researchers warn of people suffering ‘regional, economic, racial and other inequalities – some all at the same time’

Women have been more likely to lose their jobs in the public health crisis (PA)

Women living in the north of England have been disproportionately hit by the recession unleashed by the pandemic, according to a new study.

Researchers at IPPR North found almost half of northern women currently in work are in sectors that have been most starkly damaged by the coronavirus emergency, such as retail and hospitality.

In sharp comparison, men constitute around only a quarter of the workforce in these industries.

The report also found most key workers in the north are women, leaving them more exposed to infection and mortality in the Covid crisis. Men make up just 6 per cent of health and social care workers in the north of the country.

Amreen Qureshi, a researcher at the think tank, said: “Inequalities don’t exist in silos. They interact with each other. Women in the north are experiencing regional, economic, racial and other inequalities – some all at the same time.

“Even before the pandemic, northern women – especially those in the most deprived communities – have seen their life expectancy fall after a decade of austerity.

“Women earn less, are more likely to be key workers and experience gender-based violence, and they take on a more significant responsibility for informal care.”

Ms Qureshi said there was no “excuse for overlooking” the impact “widening inequalities” have on women in the north, as they called for “deeds, not words” from the government to ensure the country “builds back fairer for women”.

The study discovered one in 10 working women in the north of England have been furloughed in the past year, which is around the same as the rest of the nation. Some 1.9 million people were furloughed across the UK back in December – with around 382,000 being northern women.

Sarah Longlands, director of IPPR North, said: “As a senior woman working in public policy, I’ve lost count of the number of times where I’ve been the only woman in the room talking about the future of regions like the north.

“The opportunities that we have to build a better future for the north can only be fully realised when we challenge the status quo and do all we can to amplify women’s voices in our communities, our politics and in public policy.“

Researchers called for pay and working conditions for women across the north to be improved, and proper data to be amassed on inequalities.

Women around the UK were overrepresented in low-paid precarious sectors such as care, retail and hospitality, where zero-hour contracts are routinely handed out, prior to the pandemic.

Research has shown women have been more likely to lose their jobs in the public health crisis – with women over-represented in sectors hit hardest by the pandemic, such as hospitality, retail, leisure, tourism and the arts.

A recent study found almost a third of women working in frontline roles during the Covid crisis have been forced to go into their savings to manage financial difficulties.

The report, carried out by Unison, found women employed in key worker roles were spending more on household bills during the pandemic, with almost half seeing their outgoings rise.

The increased living costs related to spending more on energy, food, technology and transport, with reasons cited including having to care for children at home due to school closures, and having a partner who was either furloughed or working from home.

The trade union, which polled almost 47,000 women, found some respondents were in a “desperate” situation having to cover the cost of all their bills after a partner had died from coronavirus, and others had resorted to using extra blankets to stay warm as they could not afford their electricity bills.