Serving community needs

A cleaner helps to ensure road safety by clearing the snow. Women are more likely to be employed as support service staff such as cleaners, launderers and caterers, and as such are more likely to be exposed to COVID-19. Cleaners are some of the most unsung heroes of the pandemic, keeping public spaces clean, sanitized and safe. Photo: Photographer, Ganwurensheng

Throughout the pandemic millions of care workers have continued to keep the lights on and support those in need, risking their health and safety for low wages. Most of them are women, working as nurses, in community health, in nursing homes, sanitation, social services, laundering or domestic work. Social services have experienced particularly acute pressure during the pandemic. Data suggests that COVID-19 and related lockdown measures led to an increase in violence against women globally, while diverting resources from services set up to help survivors. Meanwhile, women with disabilities have been hit hard and need additional support around the greater risks to their health and the multiple forms of exclusion that they face.

Women shoulder most of the unpaid care work at home, which has increased significantly during the pandemic. Unpaid and underpaid care work have ensured that women throughout history have earned less, saved less, and held less secure jobs, with no social safety net. UN Women calls on stakeholders to ensure that as we rebuild our communities, we take this opportunity to reduce, redistribute and represent care work as a critical step towards gender equality; that we prioritize addressing violence against women; and that we ensure the leadership of all women and girls, including those with disabilities.

Li Chengcheng, a disabled coordinator from Qingshan district in Wuhan, manages the sourcing and distribution of daily necessities during the pandemic. Grassroots community workers have played an essential role in keeping life as normal as possible for residents in Wuhan. Photo: The China Disabled Persons’ Federation/Li Tao

Busy scenes at the Beijing Farmers’ Market, which takes place twice each week. During the pandemic and related travel restrictions, farmers delivered fresh and organic agricultural produce to the city for residents to buy online and then collect. Photo: Beijing Farmers’ Market

A medic from the Beijing Sanlitun community clinic answers questions about vaccinations from local residents. Photo: Liu Zhu