The global social and health crisis that has caused the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about important changes in all areas of people's lives. The total confinement of the first months, and also the partial one that still applies, has meant that all of us, to a greater or lesser extent, have seen our way of living altered.

After a great crisis, the mental health of the population tends to deteriorate. In the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, all the studies that have been carried out have found a clear worsening in the general psychological state of the population.

In an article published in September 2020 that reviewed 62 studies that addressed this issue with a total of 162,639 participants from 17 countries, it was concluded that, during the months of the pandemic, the prevalence of anxiety was 33% and that of depression , 28%, and that the main risk factors for suffering from anxiety and depression were the following: being a woman, working in the field of nursing, having a low socioeconomic level, having a high risk of contracting COVID-19 and Social isolation. Regarding the protective factors, the following stood out: having accurate and current information about the disease and having adequate medical care available (Luo et al., 2019).

This article reflects on some of the reasons why women are at greater risk of deteriorating mental health in the context of the pandemic.

Some of the causes of this increased risk are associated with inequalities and discrimination related to gender stereotypes suffered by women in our society, such as, for example, massive gender segregation in many professional sectors, inequitable (unequal) distribution of housework and the care of dependent people and, finally, the most brutal manifestation of inequality by sex: sexist violence or violence against women for the mere fact of being one.

Read more
If you want to take care, take care of yourself
The professional groups most affected by the pandemic and confinement are predominantly female. Among these groups, it is worth highlighting that of people who work in the field of health, such as nurses, doctors and other support professionals, as well as in the field of education and, especially, all those who work in the care of the elderly, both in residential centers and at home. Some of these jobs, especially those that have to do with caring for the elderly, are assumed by women who have a highly precarious professional situation.

Inequality in family responsibilities

Another factor that has also affected and will affect in the future the emotional well-being of women in this situation of global crisis is the existence of inequalities in the distribution of family responsibilities (mainly in the matter of care for dependent people: minors, minors with mental health problems or cognitive deficits, elderly or sick people ...) and that has caused women to be the ones who have had to combine telework the most with taking care of their children, attending to them and helping them with their schoolwork, thus as with housework.

The various measures adopted to contain the pandemic have highlighted the difficulties of people with children to reconcile work, family and school life. Most of the time, it is women who are in charge of caring for dependent people, who are forced to work double shifts or even abandon their professional life. All this has generated little rest, physical and emotional exhaustion, and emotions of double frustration due to not being able to carry out their professional activity correctly or help their children with their homework.

In the case of single-parent families, this situated has been aggravated, both for mothers who telework and for those who work outside the home, and even more so for those who work in the health field.

Increased risk of women experiencing sexist violence

A particularly serious situation is that of women who are victims of violence by their partner.

Confinement in these cases means having to live with the aggressor 24 hours a day, with the consequences for mental health of living in a situation of constant threat from which it is impossible to get out.

The risk of suffering psychological violence in the form of intimidation and threats, as well as physical and sexual violence, inevitably increases due to the situation of confinement itself, which usually entails in itself an increase in family or partner tensions, possible losses of work and finances and also greater anxiety at the individual level.

Routines are disrupted, which, for many of these women, means not being able to contact or meet with friends, family, or professionals who provide support and protection. There is a feeling of loneliness and hopelessness because some, even if they do not report their abusive partner, are planning to separate or may even have started the legal process and it is paused due to confinement.

With regard to sexual violence, it has been confirmed that the increase in the consumption of pornography by offenders during confinement also increases the risk of objectification of women in general and, as a consequence, of the partner in particular. In fact, it has been found that during the first months of the pandemic there was a very significant increase (more than double) in consultations for sexist violence in the different care services. Also that during the lack of confinement, complaints of serious physical violence increased a lot, as well as femicides.

Read more
Addressing the increase in domestic violence during the pandemic

To improve the mental health of women, it is therefore necessary to promote social changes that lead to a society free from discriminatory practices against women. These changes must be carried out from all areas, especially from the educational one: we must educate boys and girls in values ​​of equality. Likewise, existing gender roles must be changed and care and attention tasks must be placed at the center of life, for both men and women.

With regard to mental health care, the assistance offered to women victims of sexist violence from mental health and addiction centers must be strengthened in order to respond to the needs detected. These needs can be addressed from the following aspects:

• Alerting professionals who work with women with mental disorders of the high prevalence of sexist violence in this group.
• Reporting on the connections between violence and mental illness.
• Identifying situations of sexist violence in women with mental disorders from the health services (especially the mental health and addictions network).
• Indicating the guidelines that can guide professional action after the detection of a case of sexist violence.
• Addressing the treatment and monitoring of cases of sexist violence that need it.
• Improving coordination with other professionals and resources from the health, social and community spheres.

I end with a quote from Simone de Beauvoir that challenges us all and, especially, women:

«Never forget that a political, economic or religious crisis will be enough for the rights of women to be questioned again. These rights can never be taken for granted. You must remain alert throughout your life»