Gender and Race on the Frontline: Experiences of Health Workers in Brazil during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Studies on the differential effects of health emergencies have largely overlooked women health workers. Whilst the literature has shown the impact of Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) on women and on healthcare workers, little research has considered the gendered effects of the health workforce. This article analyses the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare workers and working conditions in Brazil’s public healthcare system, through consideration of gendered and racialized understandings of care and work. Data were taken from an online survey of 1,263 health workers, undertaken between September and October 2020, disaggregated by sex and by race in order to understand health workers’ experiences of the pandemic in one of the countries most significantly affected by the crisis.

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

“…This violence usually occurs in a context of substandard work, exacerbated by the search for new organization forms 37 . As found in other studies 9,10,38,39 , women recognize feeling more fear and more significantly impact mental health than men. When the crisis emotionally reflects on the lives of these workers, how they address it also seems to be a significant influence of these social markers.…”

“…As can be seen so far, some elements start from the professional characteristics of frontline workers and explain some dynamics and conditions imposed by the pandemic. However, racial and gender markers are intertwined with professional careers and are relevant to understanding the dynamics of professionals' reactions and perceptions 9,13,27,31 .…”

“…Studies suggest that the erratic management of the pandemic has had severe consequences on the performance of health professionals working in the Brazilian Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde -SUS) during the COVID-19 pandemic health emergency [6][7][8][9][10] . These consequences directly change how these professionals realize their work and relate to health service users 8 .…”

“…However, if it is evident that the pandemic affects everyone and, more critically, health professionals, it is also evident that these effects are unequally manifested among social groups. Researchs show that people in vulnerable conditions have suffered more intensely from the consequences of the pandemic 9,10 . They also show that social groups such as women and blacks also suffer more from these impacts because women are burdened by daily inequalities and the overload of domestic work imposed by the pandemic, which is also manifested in female health professionals.…”

Gender differences in work attendance among health care workers in Northern Nigeria during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…In a study with health workers on gender and race, Wenham et al concluded that female HCWs, particularly those of minority racial/ethnic heritage, face the downstream effects of care work manifesting in distress, burnout, and psychosomatic stress disorders. 17 Correspondingly, we see a significant deterioration of HCWs' quality of life and the ability to provide optimum health service delivery across several countries. 18 In such contexts, many women drop out of the workforce, though research has not examined this specific concern related to gender differences in job loss for health workers.…”