THE GREAT SHE RECESSION

The coronavirus is a disaster for feminism,” declared The Atlantic magazine on March 19. Months later, as statistics emerge from the depths of the pandemic, the assertion worryingly holds weight. With about a million jobs lost in Australia, COVID-19 has disproportionately disadvantaged women: in April their working hours were cut back by 11.5 per cent versus 7.5 per cent for men. Femaledominated industries such as retail and hospitality were particularly affected, with many casual workers excluded from the JobKeeper scheme. “The way we designed our labour market prepandemic means that a lot of women have ended up in part-time or casual work,” explains Ebony Bennett, deputy director of The Australia Institute. “The Treasurer [Josh Frydenberg] said we have to draw the line somewhere. Unfortunately he chose to draw the line in a place that [hurts] women.”

During lockdown, women’s unpaid labour surged, with 56 per cent (versus 38 per cent of men) working from home, often taking on childcare responsibilities. Free childcare was a godsend for essential workers, but now, as the government rolls that scheme back, some households will likely decide it’s too expensive for the mother to work. In fact, women are already twice as likely to have stopped looking for jobs than men. “This is bad not only for women, but the whole economy,” says Bennett.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. spoke to four women about the