Absolutely.
I think the intersection of precarious work and precarious immigration status leads to highly vulnerable working conditions for these women. The pandemic has really exacerbated the physical and mental health challenges of these jobs.
The women I spoke to talked about increasing demands on the job due to the pandemic, heightened levels of stress tied to fears of becoming personally infected with the virus or fears of infecting their family and their children, and overwhelming feelings of loss and helplessness as a result of watching long-term care residents die of COVID-19 in large numbers.
Many of the jobs they're working on do not have supplementary health insurance, meaning they're often having to pay out of their own pocket for any physical or mental health supports they need on top of basic services. Especially for these jobs that we know are very much on the front line and that we see as being essential services and sort of valorize in the language we use, there's a need for more structural physical and mental health supports. These are also very physically demanding jobs.
To speak to the second part of your question.... I'm sorry. Can you remind me? You spoke of mental health. What was the other component?