Australians are increasingly isolating in an attempt to flatten the curve of Covid-19’s spread. This is having profound impacts on our everyday lives, but the evidence is clear that the impact is far greater for women. In today’s piece, Policy Whisperer Susan Maury (@SusanMaury) of Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand (@GoodAdvocacy) outlines some of the key concerns for women’s safety that quarantine measures and its impacts are raising. If you need immediate help, call 000. If you are looking for advice or support, contact 1800RESPECT.

Update (30.03.20): The Federal Government has announced an initial $150 million boost to domestic and family violence services, citing a 75% increase in online searches for information. This is wonderful news and an important acknowledgement of the problem. It is important that the funding is thoughtfully spent to ensure increased safety for women, in consultation with front-line services.

Much has been written about the gendered impacts of Covid-19. On the plus side, it appears women are less likely to develop symptoms and their mortality rates also appear to be lower, at 1.7%, compared to men’s (2.8%) – although this may be due to the sample, from China, where men are much more likely to smoke than women are. Sadly, everything else gets tallied in the negative column. This includes:

Greater exposure to the virus due to the feminised nature of the health, travel, retail, education and social services sectors.
Potentially the need to take more time off of work due to care responsibilities. In Australia, seven in ten primary carers are women, and overall women are more likely to be carers – 12.3% of all women providing care compared to 9.3% of all males.
When schools close, it is much more likely that it will be mothers who are tasked with looking after children rather than attending to employment. In Australia, fathers spend on average 13 hours per week caring for their children, while mothers spend on average 27 hours per week.
Women also have greater likelihood of significant economic impacts, since women are much more likely to be in precarious employment compared to men. Of all employed women, 44% work part-time, compared to only 16% of employed men. 27% of women have no paid leave entitlements compared to 23% of men.
Women are more likely to be living in poverty, and the impacts of Covid-19 can be broken down by socio-economic status, as we have seen with the lack of toilet paper and other essentials in the shops.

While all of this is concerning and needs policy attention, perhaps most concerning is how the corona virus will impact on women’s safety.

What is the known rate of domestic and family violence in Australia?

The latest statistics on personal safety from the ABS presents a grim picture, and importantly domestic and family violence is often under-reported, so numbers are likely higher. However, the most recent survey indicates that:

Twenty-three per cent of all women have experienced intimate partner violence – nearly one in four – compared to one in 13 men, or just under 8%.
The majority of predators, for all types of interpersonal violence, are male, with one in three Australians experiencing violence from a male compared to one in ten experiencing violence from a female.
Describing their most recent physical assault by a male, for 92% of women it was by someone that they knew, and 65% of these assaults were in their own home. Furthermore, 69% did not report this incident to police.
Describing their most recent sexual assault, 87% of women knew the perpetrator, 40% were at home at the time, and 87% did not report the incident to police.
Twenty-three per cent of women also reported experiencing emotional abuse by a current or former partner, compared to 16% of men.
One in six women and one in ten men reported experiencing physical or sexual abuse before the age of 15.
Women with disabilities are approximately twice as likely to experience violence.

How quarantine increases the risk to women and children

Coercive control and uncertainty

The risk to women’s safety is always worse during times of great uncertainty. How much more when spending months at home and without regular social contact? Photo by Craig Whitehead on Unsplash

Domestic and family violence (DFV) is first and foremost about control. As such, the risk for violence increases when perpetrators feel they have reduced control in their lives. This reflected in the increased risk to women and children when they leave a perpetrator, which is often the most dangerous time for their safety. The sense of loss of control was a key factor in Rowan Baxter’s murder of Hannah Clarke and their three children. Other factors can also lead men to feel that their control is being eroded. Importantly, this can include a loss of employment or a suspension of wages and experiences of disasters.

Furthermore, with disruption across essentially every facet of life – employment, travel, seeing family and friends, participating in sporting and culture events, even (especially!) grocery shopping – The Lancet warns of the potential psychological impacts for people, including PTSD, confusion, and anger, which is propelled by such factors as frustration, boredom, inadequate supplies, stigma, financial losses, fear of infection and length of quarantine duration.

Increased drinking can also be an underlying factor in DFV incidences; in fact, a Melbourne study found that domestic violence call-outs are higher where there are greater concentrations of alcohol sales for home use. It appears that in China alcohol use increased with quarantine measures, contributing to a spike in domestic violence reports. It appears Australians are now panic buying alcohol – a threat to public health and safety and particularly so for women.

The dangers of extended confinement

While up until recently the focus has been on the 14 days of quarantine that’s required if you have been in contact with someone who has been diagnosed with Corvid-19, it’s now clear that living in close quarters is likely to be normalised for at least the next 6 months. Australia may experience a near-complete lockdown as has happened in China, Italy and other places. Additionally, many thousands of people are at risk of long-term employment disruption.

For women and children who are confined with a perpetrator, the outlook is grim. The combination of close quarters and a sense of losing control is expected to increase incidents of DFV. This can create a double endangerment for women with disabilities, since the specific needs of the disability sector have been sidelined in government responses to Covid-19.

The majority of women who leave a violent episode or relationship stay with a friend or family member, but under a quarantine restriction this may not be possible. It may also be difficult to keep shelters open, or perhaps more critically to move women on from temporary shelters and into more permanent accommodation given the anticipated rise in precarious housing and homelessness due to a massive loss of incomes. Accessing Centrelink payments will also be a challenge given the flood of people who are currently in need that is overwhelming the system. Even providing remote support may be difficult; how can a woman make a confidential phone call or look for online support when she is never alone?

Funding, coordination and heightened awareness urgently needed

The first thing to emphasise is that help continues to be available, and services are still open (including Good Shepherd’s service provision). The domestic and family violence sector is keenly aware of these issues and are currently working to create a coordinated response. Having DFV support recognised as an essential service is critical to ensuring proper support in the months ahead. Government funding must increase in order to expand service provision, particularly for providing effective phone and online support, with the possibility of exploring more effective methods for keeping women safe during this time.

The most comprehensive sector-wide information at the moment can be found on The Lookout, jointly overseen by Domestic Violence Resource Centre and Domestic Violence Victoria.
For updates on service provision in Victoria in the wake of Covid-19, read the updates provided by Domestic Violence Victoria.
For updates on service provision in NSW, read the updates provided by Women’s Safety NSW.
For immediate concerns for safety, call 000. Call or visit 1800RESPECT for advice or a referral.

Perhaps what is most critical is heightened awareness from neighbours, family members and friends – but also for those providing services through Centrelink, financial counselling and support, banks, police and medical professionals. With contact greatly reduced at this time, the few people in contact with isolated women must be particularly vigilant and asking questions pertaining to safety.

Call 000 for immediate concerns for safety. Call or visit 1800RESPECT for advice or a referral.

This post is part of the Women's Policy Action Tank initiative to analyse government policy using a gendered lens. View our other policy analysis pieces here.

Women’s safety in a time of quarantine