ANALYSIS: 5 things COVID-19 has taught us about inequality wef
From access to healthcare and green spaces, to work and education, here are five areas of society where coronavirus has shown up real disparities.Studies have shown the benefit of green spaces for our mental and physical health. And, with millions in various forms of lockdown, unequal access to these spaces has become a hot topic.
And a 2010 study showed that the most deprived census wards in the UK had, on average, just a fifth of the area of green space available to the most affluent wards.The pandemic has highlighted inequalities in access to healthcare and health outcomes for different groups. Significantly, the pandemic has highlighted the impact of socio-economic conditions on health. As the World Health Organization explains, "there is ample evidence that social factors including education, employment status, income level, gender and ethnicity have a marked influence on how healthy a person is".
Eighty-seven percent of premature deaths due to non-communicable diseases occur in low- and middle-income countries. And, in many of these countries, the cost of these diseases push people into poverty, hurting development and exacerbating health issues.Millions of workers and school children have been sent home, forced to work remotely by lockdowns and social distancing rules.For example, some 50% of people in India don't have access to the internet.
And, COVID-19 has exacerbated this. Parents with lower incomes were much more likely than those with higher incomes to say their children will face 'digital obstacles' during the pandemic.There's a digital divide in play for adults too - both between countries and within them. Data suggests that the share of people who work from home is closely linked to internet penetration.
Research in the UK has shown that two-thirds of people with visual impairments feel they've become less independent since the start of lockdown.The WHO has also warned of the risks those with disabilities face during the pandemic, including an increased risk of developing severe disease. Social distancing can also be hard for these groups because of the need for additional care and support.But, this is nothing new.
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