The Impact of COVID-19 on Gender Relations in Australia
By: Paula Mills
Tags: Covid 19 Crisis, Australia, Inequality, Childcare, Gender Equality

Photo by Brian Asare on Unsplash

The damaging economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been borne globally. Research reveals, however, that women entered the pandemic facing more precarious employment, lower pay, and higher levels of underemployment. Increased economic stress and uncertainty will persist for women as the economic downturn continues. It is difficult, therefore, to understand why the Australian government chose not to apply a ‘gender lens’ in the recent 20/21 Federal budget. In the budget, 0.038% was allocated to policies designed to support women’s participation in paid work. The allocated $240 million (from the overall spend of $500 billion) is to be spent over five years. The government provided a childcare relief package of $1.9 billion, offering free childcare from April to July 2020, when nationwide restrictions were introduced. The government then initiated a “transitional support” scheme for the childcare sector at the cost of $708 million. No extra spending was allocated to childcare in the 2020/21 budget (Hitch 2020).

The budget, according to Morrison, is, ‘gender-neutral’ which is part of the problem. Ignoring the fact that women start from a place of disadvantage on all economic fronts, entrenches gender inequality. A further issue is that Frydenburg and Morrison seem intent on resolving the impacts of the pandemic by boosting male-dominated industries and neoliberal economic policy further benefitting privileged groups. Feminist writer Nancy Fraser states that neoliberal capitalism is a deeply embedded dominant system that preserves power over certain groups, hollows out the living standard of the working class and women who do not have access to individual self-promotion and extends gender oppression. Fraser calls for distributive justice and equitable distribution of resources. Regrettably, the ‘gender-neutral’ budget was a missed opportunity for much-needed reform, particularly in the area of childcare and paid parental leave.

Sweden, which follows the Nordic economic model, has developed policies and social welfare reforms that work to mitigate gender and class inequalities (Swedish Gender Equality Agency 2020). This has ensured the success of egalitarian systems such as Educare, which offers all parents the same childcare opportunities, regardless of income. Swedish society reaps rewards through productivity gains and the long-term well-being of the child. This raises the question of whether a social-democratic policy regime which supports a mixed economy and benefits the working class within the framework of capitalism, is perhaps a better model for pursuing gender equality.

These challenging economic times demand bold intervention to reconstruct our economy and rebuild Australian workplaces. Increasing female workforce participation is one of the government’s most significant economic opportunities. Crucial for women’s workforce participation is access to affordable childcare. Additionally, by reducing the earnings gap between men and women, economic security for women improves. Australia would benefit from a ‘Universal Childcare Policy’ similar to Sweden’s, that uses public funding to ensure high-quality childcare to all families, along with increased paid parental leave. Findings show that higher workforce participation boosts GDP irrespective of necessary spending.

The federal government’s decision to offer free childcare, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, opened up the possibility for radical change. However, when the care package came to an end, women were once more reminded of their disadvantaged status through increased caring responsibilities and disproportionate job losses. Affordable, quality childcare has been at the heart of the gender equity debate for a long time. Childrearing remains the most significant explanation for the gap in labour force participation between men and women. Whether or not the current Federal government is prepared to tackle Australian gender issues appropriately is yet to be seen, clearly, Australian society as a whole, has much to gain if it does.