There are sometimes very great events and upheavals which not only present challenges in themselves, but which also throw into relief the wider inequalities and fault lines in society. The coronavirus crisis is one such upheaval which has posed questions about how we live and work, how we care for those unable to do so for themselves, how we protect the wider health of society. It makes us consider the way in which society is organised from housing to education to the nature of the family itself. It highlights divisions of class, race and gender in a stark way.

Those already at a disadvantage in ‘normal times’ find themselves at a much greater disadvantage now. This is very obvious in the case of women. There are many signs that women are particularly suffering as a result of the crisis and the lockdown. Reasons for this range from the dangers from domestic violence, the problems of stress and mental illness, the difficulties faced with prolonged periods in overcrowded or unsuitable accommodation, the many challenges of childcare in these circumstances. An estimated 4.5 million people have become unpaid carers for relatives as a result of the coronavirus, including 2.7 million women (Carers Week 2020).

All these potential problems are combined with major changes in work: women are heavily represented in those occupations which have lost jobs or been furloughed since March, such as retail and hospitality, and many of those in work are faced with often unfamiliar and isolated ways of working from home. There are, of course, very different working conditions for different groups of women. Large numbers of people have been working from home, including many office workers, university lecturers and admin staff, finance staff, civil servants and local government workers. These include considerable cohorts of managerial and professional grades, who generally find it easier. Those unable to work from home tend to be among the lowest paid, with senior executives being among the most able to (Thomas 2020). The pressures of working from home vary but for those with children it is particularly onerous, and there are numerous indications of women being in the most difficult positions, taking on the bulk of childcare and other domestic work, and having to do much of their paid work in the hours when their children are asleep.