not qualify for social protection (e.g., paid sick leave and unemployment benefits). Many are migrant workers or immigrants. In the context of social distancing orders, women in domestic work have been put at risk of losing employment (potentially also jeopardizing their visa status) or of being forced to take unpaid leave, or may have had to return to work in potentially unsafe conditions and without proper protection if they have no other income support. Emergency relief measures put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic have largely excluded domestic workers. Recommended actions to protect women’s rights Social protection measures instituted during emergencies should factor in increases to women’s contribution to unpaid domestic work in terms of lost productivity and lost income, and protect women from lay-offs, permit flexible and part-time work, and extend the duration of benefits (especially for single mothers). When scaling back emergency measures, priority should be given to re-opening services (including childcare and educational) that facilitate women’s ability to exercise the right to work. In Denmark, emergency childcare services were established for children (from ages 0 to 9) of “essential” employees, and childcare services and primary schools were among the first to be reopened in April 2020, as a means to reduce pressure on those working from home.189 At the same time, initiatives should also be supported to capitalize on men’s greater engagement in unpaid household and care work during lockdowns. Emergency measures should include social protection for women who work in the informal sector, especially domestic workers. Spain extended unemployment benefits to registered domestic workers impacted by the coronavirus in March 2020;190 other countries, such as France, already had a scheme in place that afforded domestic workers social security and paid leave.191 189 European Network of Legal Experts in Gender Equality and Non-Discrimination, Flash Report – Denmark, op. cit., note 173. 190 Davies, S., “Spain Starts Subsidy for Domestic Workers Hit by Coronavirus”, Reuters website, 31 March 2020, <https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-domestic-workers/ spain-starts-subsidy-for-domestic-workers-hit-by-coronavirus-idUSKBN21I2Q9>. 191 Varia, N., “It Is Time for the World to Start Caring for the Caregivers, Human Rights Watch website, 1 May 2020, “https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/05/01/it-time-world-start-caring-caregivers”. 56