2024 - Women more affected by coronavirus?

The role of women in society, especially for healthcare professionals, may well make them more prone to contracting the new Coronavirus, Covid-19.

The coronavirus pandemic now affects almost every country in the world. Faced with the spread of the disease, many events are canceled, stores "non-essential" are closing their doors until further notice and the population is invited to limit their movements or even remain confined to their homes. On their side, health professionals are increasingly called upon to deal with this health crisis. Some experts even fear that it would pose a much greater risk to women.

The World Health Organization (WHO) explained in a 2007 report that typical gender roles can "influence the place where men and women spend their time, and the infectious agents with which they come into contact, as well as the nature of the exposure, its frequency and intensity"If according to the first studies carried out in China, the mortality rate due to Coronavirus would be higher in men, women may be more likely to get it.

Women more affected than men by Coronavirus?

Globally, women make up the majority of health professionals, or about 70% of the staff. Most of them are nurses and caregivers who are on the front line when it comes to fighting and limiting the spread of disease. For example, in the Chinese province of Hubei, the initial home of Covid-19, around 90% of health professionals are women.

According to Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious disease specialist and epidemiologist, "the exposure level of nurses is higher than that of doctors ". They are the ones who provide daily patient care, collect their blood and collect samples. The New york times reveals that this is also true in nursing homes.

According to a 2017 study, during the 2014 Ebola outbreak, "more cases have been recorded in women than in men". If the virus does not choose the gender, women around the world are also more likely to care for their sick loved ones.. Most of them take responsibility for the education of their children. Thus, with the closure of schools, the risk may be increased. In addition, the disease is more easily transmitted between members of the same family within their household because their contacts are indeed more frequent.

As for pregnant women, they may experience additional stress in the face of the pandemic. However, it appears that the virus does not spread from mother to fetus during pregnancy.

An economic impact

Women could also be the main economic victims of the Coronavirus. They represent the majority of part-time workers. These are the first jobs to be generally cut in times of economic uncertainty. Besides this, they are often forced to give up their work and their income to stay at home in the event of an epidemic, especially if they are mothers. According to Simon Fraser University health policy researcher Julie Smith, it would be more difficult for them to return to the job market after a period of crisis.