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The differential impact of COVID‐19 on the work conditions of women and men academics during the lockdown
Author(s) -
Yildirim T. Murat,
EslenZiya Hande
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
gender, work and organization
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.159
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1468-0432
pISSN - 0968-6673
DOI - 10.1111/gwao.12529
Subject(s) - covid-19 , pandemic , work (physics) , argument (complex analysis) , test (biology) , demographic economics , sociology , differential (mechanical device) , psychology , medicine , economics , engineering , mechanical engineering , paleontology , disease , pathology , virology , outbreak , infectious disease (medical specialty) , biology , aerospace engineering
That the COVID‐19 pandemic has affected the work conditions of large segments of society is in no doubt. A growing body of journalistic accounts raised the possibility that the lockdown caused by the pandemic has affected women and men in different ways, due mostly to the traditionally gendered division of labour in society. We attempt to test this oft‐cited argument by conducting an original survey with nearly 200 academics. Specifically, we explore the extent to which the effect of the lockdown on childcare, housework and home‐office environment varies across women and men. Our results show that a number of factors are associated with the effect of the lockdown on the work conditions of academics at home, including gender, having children, perceived threat from COVID‐19 and satisfaction with the work environment. We also show that having children disproportionately affects women in terms of the amount of housework during the lockdown.