The Role of Women in Essential Jobs

Webinar

To draw attention to those sectors which, until now, have not been adequately recognised or remunerated and to strengthen the ties between the different feminist struggles in Europe, the Feminism Working Group of the Party of the European Left has organised this webinar.

 

Women are hit particularly hard by the Covid crisis and its consequences. Among the 49 million people employed in the health sector, one of the most exposed to the Coronavirus, no less than 76% are women. In addition, women are over-represented in essential services that remained open during the pandemic, ranging from selling to childcare. In the EU, women represent 82% of all cashiers and 95% of those employed in domestic and care work. These official figures, published by the European Parliament, demonstrate that women are and will remain the driving force of our societies, before, during and after the pandemic. More than a year and a half after the outbreak of the pandemic, it is feared that the social and economic impact will have long-term repercussions on gender equality, further exacerbating the inequalities and precarious conditions women have faced already before the current crisis.

For this reason, the EL Feminism Working Group felt the urgency of launching an event that will bring together representatives from different key sectors and from different European countries to describe the pandemic from the perspective of women who have been on the front line and the fundamental role they have played in managing the pandemic.

Thursday, 1 July 2021
17:00 (CET)

Languages:
English, French, Greek, Italian and Spanish interpretation was provided.

Speakers

Giulia Pezzella, teacher and spokesperson of the Coordinamento Nazionale Precari Scuola (IT)
Malika Roelants, Pediatrician, activist in the movement Santé en lutte and in the Collectif8Mars organizing the feminist strike in Brussels (FR)
Liisa Taskinen, SKP Communist Party of Finland, member of the EL Feminism Working Group (EN)
Lucrecia Sáenz Hernández, domestic and care worker since she arrived in Spain in 2005 from Nicaragua. Committed to social and feminist struggles and member of the organisation Territorio domestico (ES)
Sevi Staikou, employee at the Greek Telecommunication Provider OTE. Unionist, Member of the SYRIZA sector for feminist politics (GR)
activist from the Collectif8Mars interviewing a trade union delegate (CSC) during the daycare staff strike in Brussels (5 May 2021) (FR)