Inequality in the middle of a crisis: an analysis of health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic from the profession, race, and gender perspectives

Abstract

Studies show that people in vulnerable conditions and some social groups such as women and black people have suffered more intensely from the COVID-19 pandemic impacts. This expression of inequality also manifests itself among healthcare workers, with greater exposure of some specific groups. This paper analyzes the effect of COVID-19 on health care workers and the working conditions in the Brazilian public health system, analyzed from professional, gender, and race perspectives. Data were collected from an online survey of 1,829 health workers conducted in March 2021. Indeed, we identified inequalities in health workers’ experiences during the health crisis generated by COVID-19, which are marked by the profession of each worker and are traversed by their gender and race traits.

Migrant healthcare workers during COVID-19: bringing an intersectional health system-related approach into pandemic protection. A German case study

“…Comparative data revealed strong social inequalities and discrimination against migrant HCWs and racialised groups in the HCWF. This was especially documented for BAME doctors in the UK (53,54,56,57,58,59,60) and ethnic minorities in Brazil (17,62,63).…”

“…Records with marginal information on our topic, as well as study protocols and mere opinion papers and editorials without substantive empirical data were also excluded. Finally, 19 articles were selected for the thematic analysis (17, 45, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67).…”

“…In Europe, the Standing Committee of European Doctors (78,79) sought to gather data, yet members could not provide the information, except the British Medical Association (BMA) (22). Knowledge of migrant HCWs during the pandemic is strongly shaped by two country clusters, Brazil (17,18,62,63,80) and the UK, the latter one mainly based on data from the UK-REACH study (20,21) and efforts of the BMA (22,23,81,82,83,84). Some additional information was provided by qualitative research with frontline Pakistani emigrant physicians in the National Health Service (NHS) as a specific group of BAME HCWs but did not include comparison (85).…”

“…Black HCWs faced the strongest discrimination in most countries included in the analysis, as shown for the UK (53,56,57,61), Brazil (17,62), USA (64) and Canada (65). Differences within the group of Black HCWs must also be considered.…”

“…Concerning the health workforce, there is a dearth of knowledge on migrant HCWs, but some information became available recently from research into social inequalities that considers race/ethnicity. A Brazilian survey confirmed an exacerbation of essential inequalities among HCWs during the pandemic and highlighted intersections between race, gender and profession that may affect HCWs in different ways (17,18). In the United Kingdom (UK), the United Kingdom Research study into Ethnicity and COVID-19 outcomes among Healthcare workers (UK Kingdom-REACH) (19,20,21) and efforts undertaken by the British Medical Association (22) revealed strong racial inequalities and higher risks of migrant HCWs.…”