COVID-19 is Detrimental to Women’s Mental Health

The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc in every area of our lives.

A new report published by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that the mental health burden is rapidly increasing. In a mid-March poll, 32 percent of people surveyed said that worry and stress about coronavirus had a negative impact on their mental health. Two weeks later, in late March, this number rose to 45 percent.

Interestingly, women appear to be suffering more than men. In this study, women were found to be 16 percent more likely to say that coronavirus-related worry or stress has negatively impacted their mental health, compared to men (53 percent vs. 37 percent). This is especially fascinating when we compare this data to polls conducted two weeks earlier, where the gender gap was just 9 percent (36 percent vs. 27 percent). 

For parents of children under 18, the numbers are even more dramatic. At the end of March, 57 percent of mothers vs. 32 percent of fathers said their mental health had gotten worse as a result of the pandemic. Two weeks earlier, there had been just a 5percent difference between the genders (36 percent vs. 31 percent), suggesting that mothers may be bearing a disproportionately large part of the burden as time goes on.

Even more disturbing, the psychological fallout of the pandemic may continue to rise over the coming weeks and months, if not longer.

As time goes on and people develop more severe anxiety or depression as it relates to economic uncertainty or as a result of long term social distancing and isolation, the Kaiser Family Foundation predicts that these numbers will continue to increase. 

If you are a woman looking for community and connection, we urge you to request an invitation to The Collective Rising. We want to support you however we can during this unprecedented time. You can learn more about our membership offerings by visiting https://thecollectiverising.com/join-us/.