By Marie-Camille Théorêt
Special to the Record
According to a study published on International Women’s Day (March 8) by l’Institut de Recherche et d’Informations Socioéconomique (IRIS), women are more negatively impacted than men by the pandemic—and this is no exception locally. Numbers from the INSPQ show that women in Quebec represent 54,7 per cent of infected cases and 53,4 per cent of total deaths due to COVID-19.
The Memphremagog MRC women’s centre, whose mission is to improve living conditions of women in the region, is a frontline observer of the rising inequalities.
“Women were already living with a wide range of vulnerabilities. The pandemic has both highlighted and aggravated them,” said the centre’s coordinator Véronique Latulippe. Based on observations made during the pandemic, women in the MRC live more isolation and deal with more familial conflicts (with children and spouses) than before.
