This briefing looks at how the coronavirus outbreak is impacting Disabled parents. The briefing is published jointly with UK Women's Budget Group, Engender and Close the Gap (Scotland), Women Equality Network Wales, and Northern Ireland Women’s Budget Group (NIWBG).

This research was funded by Standard Life Foundation and Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust.

You can find the briefing by clicking here.

It sets out the experiences of parents during 2020. It comprises analysis of data from a survey of 1,003 parents of under-14s, including 196 disabled parents, conducted in November and December.

Key findings include:

• Half (49%) of disabled mothers have been furloughed compared to one third (34%) of non-disabled mothers
• Three times as many disabled mothers lost their main job than non-disabled mothers (20% of disabled mothers compared to 7% of non-disabled mothers)
• Six in 10 (58%) of disabled mothers report struggling to make ends meet compared to 36% of non-disabled mothers
• High levels of anxiety were reported by 62% of disabled compared to 38% of non-disabled mothers.

This new research shows that the current blanket policy response to the pandemic does not address these intersecting characteristics and widens the gulf further between disabled and non-disabled parents.

We urgently need to see the Government prioritise women and equality and redress the unequal impact of both Covid-19 and its own policy response to the pandemic.