WOMEN workers are suffering most from the effects of Covid-19, a union conference heard today.

Delegates from across the north-east shared their experiences of the pandemic at a conference held in Newcastle by public-service union Unison

Women participants told how additional caring responsibilities are affecting their health and financial wellbeing.

And they told the conference that school closures, reduced early years provision, loss of school clubs and children being sent home to self-isolate are putting increasing pressure on working parents, with women bearing the brunt.

Women are forced to take annual or unpaid leave, reduce their hours or, in the worst cases, resign from employment.

Unison regional secretary Clare Williams said: “I am very concerned about the financial impact on the lowest-paid workers, pushing more and more women into poverty.”

And regional women’s network chairwoman Pat Heron said: “I am particularly worried about the impact on single-parent households — 90 per cent of which are headed by women — and I am concerned that the gender pay gap will widen.” 

Unison said that women are over-represented in insecure employment and more likely to have zero-hour contracts. 

Women are also over-represented in jobs with lower pay, and occupy 70 per cent of jobs that pay too little to qualify for statutory sick pay.

As a result of this lack of security, the financial impact on women is worse, the union said, demanding that the government put in place a recovery plan that addresses these inadequacies.