It’s no secret that women are disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether it’s doing triple-duty at as a WFH employee + full-time education assistant to their children, + household maintenance that typically falls to women, or whether it’s a full-time nurse on the front lines saving lives, women in Canada are carrying this country through one of the most difficult times in history.
Little-discussed is the impact of COVID-19 mandated lockdowns on women-owned and operated businesses, specifically spas. Canada-wide, there are thousands of spas, and the vast majority of these companies are female owned and operated. Even in a non-pandemic environment, it is already challenging for women to open and run a small business (despite a higher business success rate, women often have less access to financing than men, for example).
As we look to a post COVID-19 world, the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on spas cannot be overlooked. How will our national, and provincial governments, address this unfair burden?
