How has Covid-19 impacted working with Men and Boys?
Future Men has contributed, with MenEngage Europe, to research by Durham University, to find out how work with men and boys has been affected by the pandemic. The findings of this survey have now been published, and can be read in this Durham University report.
The survey, conducted in May-June 2020, found that most organisations were operating at a reduced service; only 17% were able to carry on working as normal, at a time when many of the issues that their work addresses have become more urgent than ever. The vast majority of respondents (86%) were worried about their organisation’s funding during the Covid-19 crisis, with the survival of many women’s organisations and services (such as domestic abuse refuges) also at great risk. Yet most respondents (56%) disagreed that their government was addressing gender equality in its response to the crisis, with only 25% agreeing with this statement.
The report concludes that, as the pandemic continues, there is an urgent need for decision-makers at all levels to take into account and address gender equality issues in their responses to Covid-19 and its hugely damaging social and economic impacts.