A Supermarket Cashier: Frontliner During Covid-19 Pandemic

          The COVID-19 pandemic is putting an unprecedented and significant strain on the global economy and public health systems. It is also highlighting and magnifying inequalities and the multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination faced by women and girls. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the world into a catastrophe. It made the world stop. But not to our supermarkets who cater our basic necessities. 

            Supermarket cashiers are one of the strongest women. They are the front liners of the supermarkets. They meet with every kind of people every day. They deal with every kind of health issue of each of their customers. They can be at their best posture every day. They can look presentable every day despite hardships from home and from work. Each one of them can possess a good customer relation. They are patient and courteous. They can tolerate a customer who basically treats them as nobody. As mentioned above, supermarket cashiers are the front liners of the supermarket because they meet different people every day. COVID-19 is affecting women in many ways, from concerns for their health and safety and income security, to additional caring responsibilities and increased exposure to domestic violence. Gender discrimination and abuses is also observed in a marketplace.  To protect them from this problems, the supermarket must take proactive measures through internal and external communications to challenge gender stereotypes and roles, discrimination, inequality and harmful masculinities. Promote awareness and visibility of small independent organizations and individual women or men that are at the frontline of pandemic response efforts. 

           Supermarket cashiering is never easy. That is why no one should treat cashiers as somebody who just there accounting your payment. They should be treated equally as the nurses, teachers, policewomen or even doctors. Because they are front liners too. 

Sources:

https://www.empowerwomen.org/en/resources/documents/2020/04/covid-19-and-gender-equality-a-call-to-action-for-the-private-sector?lang=en

https://bit.ly/3uOza3x