Covid-19: Women

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle Excerpts

Wednesday 10th March 2021 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Berridge (Con)]

My Lords, the effects of the pandemic are indeed differential across a number of factors. We have invested half a billion pounds in mental health services and recognise that women have taken on more responsibility in the home in terms of childcare and home-schooling, but, thankfully, schools are back as of Monday. We are looking closely at the data, to then analyse it. That will inform our policy development, as will, as I have outlined, meeting with women’s groups.

[Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (GP) [V]]

My Lords, in one of the reports to which the noble Baroness, Lady Wilcox, referred, the Women and Equalities Committee in the other place recommends

“a Gender Beneficiary Assessment of investments from the industrial strategy”,

which are currently going into areas that are well known to be male-dominated, and

“an economic growth assessment of the Women’s Budget Group’s care-led recovery proposals.”

Surely the Government must take these steps to understand the impacts of their policies.

[Baroness Berridge (Con)]

My Lords, the Government are looking at the data and have now got an equality data assessment based in the Cabinet Office. We have brought together the GEO with the disability and race units so that we have all the data to look at. The massive economic package and support that has been in place has benefited millions of women, and women are slightly less likely to be made redundant and slightly more likely to be furloughed.