How has Covid19 impacted on women’s equality at home & in the workplace?

A provocative question I am sure, but a subject which has caused some advances in male/female gender equality to take a backwards slide.

In a world where we recognize gender fluidity, there is still an ancient discrepancy in the equalities between men & women.

Throughout the Covid19 pandemic, surveys have shown that as billions of people suddenly found themselves at home, it has been women who have taken on the additional household chores & where applicable, childcare.

With families all under one roof for days, months on end, all day meals to prepare, more washing, education to consider & even work patterns to try & stick to; it is women who have had to try & find some additional balance during the Covid19 pandemic.

In consultation with UN Women, Ipsos conducted an 18-country poll from 1–3 May 2020, which revealed that women were taking on a lot more responsibility for the running of the household during the pandemic.

Across the 18 countries, on average, women were 4% more likely than men to say they strongly agreed that their care load had increased during the pandemic. Mexico had the largest gender gap in responses, with 53% of women strongly agreeing with the statement, compared to only 41% of men. (1)

However, despite these statistics & the ongoing surveys which are collating data to support the disparities of the additional responsibilities Covid19 has put on women; there are some women who behave in a similar way on a regular basis & for no other reason than they have to.

Across the world the expectations on women as homemakers, child carers & income generators, is still something women are striving for recognition & support with.

In developing countries where incomes are low & paid work for women is hard to come by; the incredible weight of the responsibilities daily life can put upon women, is unfathomable.

Oxfam strive for recognition for what they call ‘unpaid care work’ the invisible chores of cooking, cleaning & caring for others which women undertake. In some cultures & countries this is expected, in others, there is no choice due to individual circumstances.

“For women and girls the gender gap may be better illustrated by the long and often dangerous daily walks to fetch water, the countless hours they spend caring for others, cooking and cleaning. All these invisible tasks traditionally belong to them but are neither counted nor valued.” (2)

So how come in some advanced & developing countries women are still pushing themselves to the limits daily, when they have access to modern help mechanisms like online shopping, childcare, transport networks, careers & paid work & yet in some developing or under-developed countries, women & girls are working themselves to exhaustion with no help or recognition?

For a lot of women who have the opportunities to follow careers & maybe make the choice to have a family; balancing the expectations of work, childcare & home life can be challenging. However, for the most part, these women are able to access support mechanisms if they choose too.

The question is, how have many of these working women coped during the restrictions of the pandemic if they have found themselves at home, furloughed & or working from home?

The answer will naturally vary from household to household. Some women, who also have families, have revelled in the extra time to be with families & perhaps develop themselves. Others, have struggled under the weight of caring full time for an entire family unit, juggling their own work & home schooling.

What does seem to be a common theme, is that where the men of the household have also found themselves at home, the uptake of additional help under such challenging circumstances, has often, although not always, not necessarily been forthcoming.

As we move out of the restrictions of the pandemic in the United Kingdom, adjustments will be being made again as women either return to work, remain working from home & or pursue other avenues.

However, globally this ‘unpaid care work’ Oxfam speak of, continues to grow, challenging women’s recognition & equality once again, with many gains having taken a step backwards under the expectations of the Covid19 pandemic.

Written by Katy-Jane Mason for & on behalf of Virtually Smart.

1. https://data.unwomen.org/features/ipsos-survey-confirms-covid-19-intensifying-womens-workload-home
2. https://www.oxfam.org/en/not-all-gaps-are-created-equal-true-value-care-work