HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution No. 2021-04COUNTY COUNCIL
COUNTY OF KAUA'I
l\,esolution No. 2021--04
RESOLUTION SUPPORTING AND URGING
EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE PRINCIPLES
IN COVID-19 RELATED RECOVERY INITIATIVES
WHEREAS, COVID-19 has magnified long-standing inequalities and the
fragility of our social, political, and healthcare systems; and
WHEREAS, there is little difference in the number of men and women
confirmed to be infected by COVID-19, but men are more likely to die from the
novel coronavirus, while women are shown to be disproportionately affected by the
pandemic because of their profession, as well as childcare and household
responsibilities; and
WHEREAS, according to a 2012-2016 industry analysis of Hawai'i's
working population by the State Department of Business, Economic Development &
Tourism (DBEDT), women make up roughly fifty percent (50%) of Hawai'i's
workforce, but account for seventy-three and three tenths percent (73.3%) of
the employees in the health care and social assistance sector, sixty-eight and
four tenths percent (68.4%) of the educational services sector, sixty-five and three
tenths percent (65.3%) of the finance and insurance sector, fifty-five and six tenths
percent (55.6%) of retail trade, fifty-one and seven tenths percent (51.7%) of the
real estate and rental and leasing industry, and forty-nine and seven tenths
percent (49.7%) of the accommodation and food service industry; and
WHEREAS, the DBEDT report brings into sharp focus the fact that women
hold a significant number of jobs that are critical to providing emergency and ongoing
response support, as well as other key services during the coronavirus pandemic; and
WHEREAS, according to the National Women's Law Center, women account
for fifty-six percent (56%) of all jobs lost since the start of the corona virus pandemic;
and
WHEREAS, a research brief by Professor Gema Zamarro on gender differences
in the impact of COVID-19 found that women carried a heavier load than men in
providing childcare duties after schools closed, with forty-four percent (44%) of
women versus fourteen percent (14%) of men reporting being the only one in the
household providing care, and a notable disparity among working parents with
thirty-three percent (33%) of working mothers reporting they were the only care
provider for their children versus ten percent (10%) of working fathers; and
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WHEREAS, the American Psychological Association reported that national
crises such as natural disasters and recent COVID-19 stay-at-home lockdown
measures ramp up stress within households, increasing risk of domestic violence and
child abuse because victims are "trapped" indoors with their abuser; and
WHEREAS, the United Nations (UN) released "The Impact of COVID-19 on
Women," a policy brief that emphasized the devastating consequences of the
pandemic for women and girls, and identified three priorities that would have
meaningful impact on women and girls-and society at large-if pursued: 1) ensure
women's equal representation in all COVID-19 response planning and
decision-making; 2) drive transformative change for equality by addressing the care
economy, paid and unpaid; and 3) target women and girls in all efforts to address the
socio-economic impact of COVID-19; and
WHEREAS, the Hawai'i State Commission on the Status of Women (HSCSW)
published "Building Bridges, Not Walking on Backs," the nation's first feminist
economic recovery plan for COVID-19, which highlights numerous key and emerging
principals and recommendations designed to build a system that is capable of
delivering gender equality; and
WHEREAS, COVID-19 represents an opportunity to spend federal stimulus
dollars and enact meaningful policy in a way that is designed with gender equality in
mind; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF KAUA'I,
STATE OF HAWAI'I, that it supports a feminist economic recovery plan for the
County of Kaua'i.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that it strongly urges the Administration to
view this pandemic through a gendered lens and incorporate principles of equity,
inclusion, and social and economic justice, championed in the UN report and HSCSW
plan, into County-run COVID-19 programs, into language on County-printed
materials and digital communications, as well as into County-initiated requests for
proposals centered on COVID-19 response and recovery efforts.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that it urges the Administration to recognize
the specific vulnerability faced by women and girls in this pandemic and make every
effort to proactively and consistently engage with the Kaua'i County Committee on
the Status of Women, as well as women and girls in our community, in order to inform
COVID-19 related decisions.
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BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that a certified copy of this Resolution shall be
transmitted to United States Senator Brian E. Schatz, United States Senator Mazie
K. Hirano, United States Representative Ed Case, United States Representative
Kaiali'i Kahele, Governor David Y. Ige, Lt. Governor Josh Green, Senate President
Ronald D. Kouchi, Representative Daynette "Dee" Morikawa, Representative Nadine
K. Nakamura, Representative James Kunane Tokioka, the Hawai'i State
Commission on the Status of Women, the Kaua'i County Committee on the Status of
Women, Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami, and the Administrative Head of each County
department, agency, and office.
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Certificate @f aboption
We berebp certifp tbat ltesolution ~o. 2021-04
bms abopteb hp tbe q[ouncil of tbe q[ountp of J!aua'i, $tate of
j!}ai.uai'i, JLibu'e, J!aua'i, j!)ai.uai'i, on December 16, 2020
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l!lateb December 16, 2020
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