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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to an
3economic crisis that has affected working Americans and has
4had a disproportionate effect on women, especially women of
5color; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Women have suffered the full force of this crisis
7because of inadequate childcare, instability in hard-hit
8industries, and insufficient health and safety resources; and
 
9    WHEREAS, The unpaid domestic work and the essential care
10work performed by women sustains societies and has immense
11economic value, yet recovery policies do not adequately
12support women; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Women comprise a majority of workers in
14industries impacted by COVID-19, including the hospitality,
15entertainment, healthcare, and restaurant industries; women
16comprise the majority of midwives, cleaners, launderers,
17nurses, and other community health workers; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Over 50 percent of all essential workers are
19women, including 78 percent of social workers and 77 percent
20of healthcare workers; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Despite the fact that women are at the forefront
2of exposure, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is not
3designed to fit them; surveys have found that less than 30
4percent of PPE fits women correctly; and
 
5    WHEREAS, When schools are closed to reduce virus
6transmission, many women are forced to choose between
7childcare and staying in the workforce; many women have left
8their jobs or shifted to part-time work to accommodate for
9school and daycare closings; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Women make up the majority of single-parent
11households and perform 76 percent of unpaid care work; and
 
12    WHEREAS, 1 in 4 women who lost their jobs during the
13COVID-19 pandemic have reported that they lost their jobs due
14to a lack of childcare; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Women have been disproportionately affected by
16unemployment, with women suffering 60 percent of
17pandemic-related job losses; the unemployment rate for women
18reached a staggering 16 percent with most of the women
19affected being Black, Latinx, and disabled women; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Forcing women, who already have less savings than
21men, to drop out of the labor force to perform care work

 

 

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1reduces their life-time income by 65 percent, which in turn
2exacerbates gaps in life-time income; and
 
3    WHEREAS, COVID-19-related restrictions also came at the
4expense of women's health and safety as women's shelters close
5and resources are reallocated to pandemic response; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Economic stress and social stress, coupled with
7restricted movement and social isolation, have led to an
8exponential increase in gender-based violence; without the
9economic and social resources that shelters and crisis centers
10provide, women are unable to escape abusive partners and face
11a greater threat of sexual exploitation and trafficking; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Pandemic-related restrictions have made it harder
13for women to seek health services as health clinics close and
14postpone or restrict non-emergency medical care for pandemic
15response; and
 
16    WHEREAS, The diversion of healthcare resources for the
17pandemic has exacerbated maternal mortality and morbidity; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Transgender women have faced more barriers to
19gender-affirming medical care, and individuals with uteruses
20face more difficulties getting gynecological care since the
21beginning of the pandemic; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, It is essential that the General Assembly and the
2Governor fix the unemployment system, fully fund the Child
3Care Assistance Program, and institute policies that make it
4easier for caregivers to participate and stay in the
5workforce; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Economic and social policies cannot neglect the
7work women perform and the issues they face; therefore, be it
 
8    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
9HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
10we urge state lawmakers to enact policies, such as
11prioritizing funding and supporting education including the
12evidence-based funding formula passed by the General Assembly,
13Paid Family Leave, Paid Sick Leave, and support programs
14dedicated to providing women with accessible healthcare and
15safety resources, including those that address the rate of
16maternal mortality, especially for Black and Latinx women, to
17preserve the health, safety, and well-being of women during
18the COVID-19 Pandemic; and be it further
 
19    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
20presented to Governor JB Pritzker and all members of the
21Illinois General Assembly.