Thought Leader Thursday | Emma Lok of WOMEN Inc: 'Corona crisis makes us fall back into conservative mechanisms'

Emma Lok is director of strategy and communications at WOMEN Inc., an interest group that accelerates emancipation in the Netherlands. Issue maker Sybrig from Keep interviewed her about progress in the fight for equality, and what influence the corona crisis and other global events have on it.

Where WOMEN Inc. has been committed to a society where everyone has the same opportunities for fifteen years, regardless of gender or sex, Lok has seen increasing social support for these topics in recent years. The death of George Floyd and the subsequent worldwide Black Lives Matter protests contribute to this, but the corona pandemic also provides new perspectives. 'These social developments, among other things, create more necessity, space and support for structural change.'

Lok points out the unifying force that a common opponent can bring. She quotes American President Trump to illustrate this. In her opinion, Trump's attitude has mobilized and activated a huge number of people. 'We don't want this, but then what? If you take a little more distance, you will see that this crisis offers a unique opportunity for a more fundamental system change that we must now take advantage of together. That it is much more effective to work together with social organizations and interest groups to tackle social inequality in the Netherlands for everyone at the same time.'

In the field of gender, Lok points to several adverse effects of the current corona crisis. Because many people start working from home and the children are at home, the number of household tasks increased. Women took on a larger share of this. In addition, there was an increase in domestic violence and many women work in sectors that are hit hard. Higher unemployment threatens women and this also has other far-reaching effects, for example childcare becomes unaffordable. Yet the WOMEN Inc. director expects that the crisis can also contribute to gender equality in some respects in the long term. For example, it has become visible what pressure there is on women and how many women work in crucial professions in healthcare and education. Hopefully something will be done about the low financial valuation of these professions, which will also contribute to the persistent wage gap that still exists in the Netherlands. It is important that different perspectives are taken into account and that diversity is visible in decision-making positions, but unfortunately this is not yet the case.

She sees the arrival of corona as an eye-opener that can and has already brought about a lot of change. The pandemic has exposed how well and comfortably society functioned in many areas, but also which issues need fundamental change. "A crisis of this magnitude can significantly stimulate the sense of urgency," says Lok.