Women in Health Care Are Struggling

Why are women in health care disproportionately affected by poor mental health?

“Health care workers who work directly with COVID-19 patients not only have a greater risk of exposure to the virus but are also more likely to experience psychological distress due to witnessing repeated deaths and patients with severe illnesses.

Women make up almost 70 percent of the health care sector, and research shows that healthcare workers who are women are at greater risk of mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to men. Policymakers and public health officials would benefit from viewing the COVID-19 pandemic through a gender lens to understand how the disease affects individuals differently.

There is no easy solution to address the gender inequities in health care. However, there are steps that we can take to improve women's health care workers’ experiences and mental health during the pandemic:

1. Have regular training in gender sensitivity and bias focused on the healthcare environment.

2. Provide sufficient mental health resources that are accessible to all health care workers, with resources specific to women.

3. Offer resources for victims and survivors of domestic violence.

4. Provide PPE that adequately fits women, and give extra support to pregnant and nursing health care workers.

5. Reduce the gender pay gap within health care by increasing pay transparency and implementing fair scheduling practices.

6. Increase women's leadership in the health care and public health communities."

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Reflection: Do you agree with the six solutions presented above or do you think something else needs to be done in order to help women in health care that are struggling?

#Women #Healthcare #COVID19 #MentalHealth