Women in marginalised groups are among the most affected by Covid-19. The pandemic has exacerbated existing health inequalities in our society, including those impacting on migrant women, women experiencing poverty and women who are homeless. The crisis has exposed the capacity and staffing weaknesses of the public health service which women rely on. Most front line health workers are female, at risk of infection, as well as to physical and psychological pressures.

Women living in crowded settings – women in direct provision, Traveller women in halting sites and women in prisons – had difficulties accessing appropriate hygiene facilities and space to self-isolate and socially distance. In many cases disabled women were without personal assistances and social care services. Some women have had to give birth without a partner present, and faced into motherhood without family or professional support.

Our advocacy work during Covid-19 

• We advocated and achieved remote access to abortion care during the pandemic.
• NWC eveloped a women’s health and Covid-19 hub with information on minding your health, your mental health and your sexual health and wellbeing.
• We continue to share public health Covid-19 information from the HSE and the Department of Health and reopening of women’s health services such as cancer screening.
• NWC put a focus on the impacts of the pandemic on women’s mental health in Ireland, organising a Women’s Mental Health Network event Unpacking the Impacts: Covid - 19 and Women's Mental Health; and calling on Government to prioritise women’s mental health in the Covid response, in our joint statement with Mental Health Reform.
• We conducted a survey to understand how Covid-19 was affecting women’s caring responsibilities and their own mental health and wellbeing. The results were compliled in our Experiences of Caring during Covid-19 report. We also ran a digital campaign ‘When you care for others it can be harder to mind yourself’, focusing on how caring can impact women’s mental health and wellbeing and signposting women to HSE YourMentalHealth.ie supports.
• In our #NotJustInYourHead campaign, NWC highlighted the specific mental health needs of young women today and encouraged young women to seek support when they need it.