The impact of the pandemic on women in healthcare

Healthcare workers have become the new heroes, or rather heroines, during the pandemic, as 85% of healthcare workers in the Czech Republic are women. The crisis has further exposed the problems associated with the difficulty of reconciling work in the health sector and caring for one's own family. Almost a third of nurses have children under the age of 12. The closure of schools and kindergartens, together with the recommendation not to use grandparental care because they belong to a risky age group, has confronted many nurses and doctors with the question of whether to give priority to their patients or their families. Although special care institutions were opened for their children, their use presented practical complications. The crisis situation associated with the pandemic showed that family care commitments (for children or other family members) are perceived as private and therefore invisible, and are still primarily considered to be women's issues. Research shows that if the possibility of reconciling work and care in the health sector is not satisfactorily addressed, there is a risk of an exodus of these much-needed female workers into other fields.