COVID-19 and gender inequality in Spain: pandemic consequences for women in work sphere and mental health

Abstract

Objectives. The COVID-19 pandemic is expected to increase global and gender inequality, deteriorating women's health and economic autonomy, making them more vulnerable to gender-based violence. The purpose of the paper is to explore how gender inequality has been accentuated in Spain in the field of employment and mental health due to the pandemic. Methods. Based on the analysis of social inequalities in health and health as a feminist demand, a quantitative analysis of the Mental Health Survey (CIS, 2021) and the Labor Force Surveys of the First and Second Quarter of 2021 (INE, 2021) has been carried out to analyze the consequences of the pandemic and its impact on gender inequality in Spain. Results. The results show a significant gender gap in all the autonomous communities analyzed (Andalusia, Asturias, Canary Islands, Catalonia and Madrid) in both fields of labor and mental health, given that the pandemic has not been administered with a gender perspective. Discussion. Among the main factors that sustain inequality between men and women is the distribution of care work. These hinder the development of women's economic and emotional autonomy, undermining their mental health and increasing the risk of suffering gender-based violence. Some proposals are made to correct this inequality.