It’s time to prioritize women’s mental health

March 8, 2022

TORONTO — Mike Schreiner made the following statement on International Women's Day:

“On International Women’s Day, and every day, I’m calling on the government to make women’s mental health a priority.

Research shows that women have experienced much higher mental health-related challenges as a result of the pandemic.

The pressure of being a teacher, mother and professional all at once as offices and classrooms shut down put an enormous burden on many women.

The stress of working in traumatic conditions in ICU wards and LTC homes as COVID-19 raged severely affected the mental health of nurses and PSWs, who are disproportionately women.

And the unequal impact of job losses on women-majority sectors like hospitality and retail, which were hit hardest by public health measures, have hurt women financially and economically.

Everything is not ok.

We need to build a more caring and equitable Ontario.

Where mental health care is affordable and accessible for all women.

Because, as experts have made clear, the mental health impacts of the pandemic aren’t going away anytime soon. Unfortunately, they’re only getting worse.

So let’s prioritize women’s mental health and ensure all women can get the care they need, when and where they need it.”

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