12/17/22, 2:00 AM Coronavirus hitting female pockets hardest | Miami Herald

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IMMIGRATION

Women bear the brunt of the social and

economic crisis caused by COVID-19, experts
say
BY SARAH MORENO

UPDATED APRIL 27, 2020 5:14 PM

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Pence , Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Senator Rick Scott and Marco Rubio addressed the media at Port Everglades on Saturday, March 7,
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12/17/22, 2:00 AM Coronavirus hitting female pockets hardest | Miami Herald

Ingrid Londoño feels that the coronavirus affects her on all fronts. The 40-year-old
nurse started a new job on April 1 and it has been hard for her to learn from a
distance and to prove herself as a professional, especially in English, her second
language.

With her 10-year-old son at home taking remote classes, she worries as much about
the gaps that may remain in his education, at a moment that the help of a tutor
cannot be used, as the times that the child interrupts her and does not allow her to
focus on work.

“The work has doubled, you are managing the stress of everyone and yourself,” said
Londoño.

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She is worried about her mother who is alone in Colombia, her in-laws, and her
brother, who is in quarantine in Spain, one of the countries most affected by the
coronavirus.

“I have the financial burden on the family,” said Londoño.

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Her husband, who recently emigrated legally to this country, does not yet have a
work permit, a situation that will not change immediately because his appointment
with immigration authorities was canceled at the end of March.

Women are bearing the brunt of the social and economic crisis caused by COVID-19,
experts say.

Concern for the family, the education of children, the instability of the economy, and
especially unemployment is causing an excessive burden for women, who
outnumber men in job loss in almost all sectors, and to a greater extent in
hospitality, services, health and education jobs.

Data on employment in the United States released in early April indicates that
women were the most affected initially by losses in the labor market due to COVID-

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19.

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12/17/22, 2:00 AM Coronavirus hitting female pockets hardest | Miami Herald

Elise Gould · Apr 16, 2020

@eliselgould · Follow
Replying to @eliselgould
The vast majority of the job losses in March occurred in leisure and
hospitality with a loss of 459,000 jobs. In this sector, jobs held by
women represented 53.3% of overall employment and 56.9% of job
losses.
4/n

Elise Gould
@eliselgould · Follow
Women were over-represented in job losses experienced in retail trade: women
had about 50% of retail jobs in February, but experienced three-quarters of the
job losses in March.
5/n

11:13 AM · Apr 16, 2020

1 Reply Copy link
Read 1 reply

In February, women accounted for 50 percent of the payroll and in March they
accounted for 58.8 percent of lost jobs, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a
Washington-based nonprofit organization that provides economic statistics and
analysis.

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12/17/22, 2:00 AM Coronavirus hitting female pockets hardest | Miami Herald

These figures are expected to increase for the next release of unemployment data on
May 8.

WHEN WOMEN ARE THE BREADWINNER

The responsibility is even greater for the women who are the main breadwinner in
their family.

“I haven’t been working for a month. I haven’t been able to ask for unemployment
help, because the page won’t let me, when I’m near the end I have to start over,” said
a divorced mother from Pembroke Pines, who asked not to give her name.

Like her, more than a million Floridians have been unable to get their
unemployment benefits because the Florida website was in serious trouble. On April
20, a new page was launched that reports that until April 24, only 153,788 people
had received the unemployment payment.

A music teacher and professional singer, this Pembroke Pines mother has lost most
of her income due to the cancellation of shows, parties and the closure of
entertainment centers.

And while she still has singing lessons on Zoom, she doesn’t think she can survive on
this income and the federal stimulus money, which she estimates will last her two
months without incurring any expenses that are not strictly necessary.

“A single mother has three or four jobs, generally, because she has a lot of expenses
and nobody to help her,” she said.

She has already paid the rent for her room in a shared house, but she does not know
if she will be able to do it in coming months.

“I have worked very hard to achieve these savings, which I had planned to move.
Obviously I do need help,” she said of the importance of receiving unemployment
benefits.

In the United States, 46.9 percent of Hispanic households are headed by a single
mother with children under the age of 18, who is in charge of supporting the family,
sometimes with various jobs, according to figures published by the Institute for
Women’s Policy Research on April 6.

In the case of African-American women, the percentage is 74, and in the case of
white women, 45.4 percent.

In Florida, the largest demographic living in poverty are females 25-34, followed by
females 35-44 and then females 18-24.

“There is still a perception that men are the breadwinners in the family, and that is
why they keep their jobs more than women in the same industry and at the same
professional level,” explained Deanne Butchey, professor in the Department of
Finance of Florida International University.

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At the same time, Butchey noted that women often have to take time to dedicate to
their children, preventing them from advancing at the same rate as men.

Boxes containing applications in multiple languages are displayed outside as Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, left, announced the opening
of 26 Miami-Dade Public Library branches to pick up and drop off paper copies of unemployment benefit applications during a press
conference at Palm Springs North Branch Library in Hialeah, Florida, on Wednesday, April 8, 2020. Carl Juste cjuste@miamiherald.com

She also said that a trend began in 2014 where women started earning more four-
year college degrees than men, and that trend continues.

However, even though women have come a long way in attaining higher levels of
education, their salary levels and the levels of responsibility still lag those of men in
most industries.

The current wage gap and lower levels of advancement during the COVID-19
catastrophe persist, she said.

Butchey also anticipates that the wage gap will continue after the coronavirus
pandemic because women generally work in lower-paying jobs in the hospitality
and service industry, in banks, and often in positions and jobs that are about to
disappear.

“When women return to the work force after the recession, they will be expected to
accept reduced levels of pay,” said Butchey.

THE ECONOMY AND THE STRESS

Before the pandemic hit, Vania Bredy, a 41-year-old healthcare professional, was
used to working long hours.

She combined the administration of the business she co-owns with her husband, a
physical therapy consultation in Miramar, with the care of her two children, 8 and
12 years old.

Now the uncertainty and the level of stress are sometimes “overwhelming,” she
admits.

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“I don’t stop from 8 to 4 p.m. In the mornings I play my son’s ‘teacher.’ Then I worry
about the restrictions, the health of the family, the danger of contagion, buying food
and exercising with children so as not to gain much weight,“ said Bredy.

She acknowledges that, without losing optimism, she is very concerned that “if the
situation continues like this, in the coming months we will not be able to survive.”

“At least 55 percent of our business is lost,” said Bredy, whose office, Bredy Physical
Therapy & Sports Rehabilitation, is still open with her husband and two other
employees up front.

However, income has been kept to a minimum because many of his patients were
people over the age of 65, who avoid leaving their homes, even if they need therapy.

“We need to get more help to small businesses, which are the ones that support so
many families,” said Bredy, who cannot apply for unemployment benefits because
her business is open.

For her part, Londoño is already worried about the difficulties she will face when
the economy returns to business and many businesses demand that their employees
go to work.

“Where do I leave my son if the schools are closed? Will the sanitary measures be
adequate where I send him? And when the summer holidays arrive, what will we
do?” said Londoño.

“I say this as a nurse and a health professional, the coronavirus has affected us a lot
emotionally. I think that the number of psychiatric problems that will develop are
many,“ said Londoño.

The emotional burden has already caused her to feel some physical ailments that
she thought were cured.

She points out that many patients complain of anxiety and depression, and that
children, even if they sometimes do not manifest it openly, are very affected by the
situation.

“My son has had nights that he has not been able to sleep,” she said.

As a nurse she offers some tips for dealing with stress:

▪ Women must create a support network, and know who is available to help.
▪ Set up a relaxation activity every day, watch a personal growth video, take dance
classes or exercise online, do crafts.

▪ Limit the consumption of sweets, because they weaken the immune system, and
also contribute to weight gain and that causes more depression.

This story was originally published April 27, 2020 4:01 PM.

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SARAH MORENO

305-376-2217

Sarah Moreno cubre temas de negocios, entretenimiento y tendencias en el sur de la Florida. Se graduó de la
Universidad de La Habana y de Florida International University. @SarahMoreno1585

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