Women are stepping up, I just wish society valued them more

But as I spoke to more people, a worrying picture emerged. It was turning into a full-time job, occupying all of their time. The demand was so high, they felt that they couldn’t stop. Health workers did not have adequate PPE and people were dying. It became a wartime effort in peacetime, encompassing those not eligible for furlough or self-employment income support as much as those who were.

I’ve become distinctly uncomfortable with the army of free labour making scrubs

I’ve become distinctly uncomfortable with this army of free labour, and what it tells us about the value we place on costume workers and how easily we accept this huge labour force working for nothing. There are women I have spoken to who are facing bankruptcy – their businesses will fail if theatre does not get on its feet soon. Let down by employers and the state, they are still working for nothing, providing something the government has decided it won’t pay for.

It is no coincidence that this labour force is predominantly made up of women. Economic austerity has always hit women hardest. A recent Twitter thread by American writer Dayna Tortorici refers to “maternal auto-starvation” where, in austere times, a mother will starve herself to feed her children first.

Governments that favour austerity over taxing the wealthy knowingly rely on women’s self-sacrifice and unpaid labour to supplant what they decide the state will not provide – care work, cleaning, supporting the elderly, child rearing and education. No wonder that when it comes to mobilising a nimble and formidable army of people to create PPE, the vast majority are women.

I celebrate these women for stepping in to save lives. I think they are utterly amazing. I just wish that this government, society and even some of their employers valued them as much.