When crisis hits, women make sacrifices
When the pandemic began there was a lot of uncertainty as to how long this would last and what the lasting effects would mean to women and gender equity. In the beginning, everyone was home and “we were all in it together.” But as we continued to see the numbers of COVID death and infections increase, it became clear that choices needed to be made. However, for most women there was no real choice. They were forced to stay home and take on the traditional gender role that society dictated. Women were forced to take on the responsibility for the household despite the decades of work to bring equity in the home.
COVID has amplified how quickly the work on gender equity can take a backseat when a crisis hits. This pandemic has undone much of the work on gender equity and resulted in more than just two steps back for women. The choice between work and family was really never a choice, but rather an expectation that women take a step away from their careers when crisis hits to take on the majority of the caregiving responsibilities.
In 2017, 84% of women and 68% of men spent some time doing household activities such as housework, cooking, lawn care, or financial and other household management on an average day (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018). In dual-earner households, women spent more hours per day on household activities as compared to men. Plus, women take on the mental burden for organizing, planning, and managing the household labor. In an heteronormative family, the household division of labor had not drastically changed, rather what changed was the nature of the division of labor and what domestic labor now looks like.
In the age of COVID and distance learning, caregiving has taken on a different form. The requirements of caregiving quickly changed and the village that were once available to families were no longer options due to social distancing requirements and the closing of schools and daycares. Mothers have always had to navigate caring for their children, domestic responsibilities, and other work (if they worked outside the home), but due to the pandemic navigating distance learning was tacked onto those duties. Families needed to learn to balance many more responsibilities and yes, the bulk of that fell on women.
As essential workers and other workers began to go back to work, work looked different for everyone. Working mothers with privilege, were able to work from home. But even working from home did not solve the issues of caregiving. Children were also home, they not only required care and attention, they also required schooling. Distance learning became a part of domestic labor. The domestic labor that has typically been relegated to women. In dual-earner households, women were already doing more of the domestic work and now they had to manage those duties and their work from home as well as the schooling of their children.
Many say it is parents’ responsibility to care and teach our children and care for our elderly. That is what parenting and being a part of a family is all about. However, that additional load has been tacked to women’s labor. This has heavy consequences for women who also have responsibilities outside of the home. So many women have taken breaks from their careers. The costs of those breaks will have long term consequences. It will be felt not only in the wallets of families, but also in the economy where women are primary consumers. It will have consequences to women’s leadership aspirations, it will impact what diversity and inclusion looks like organizationally, and it will affect the state of gender equity for society.
It is abundantly clear that when a large global pandemic hits, society continues to believe that a woman’s place is in the home. While some stereotypes and ideas of gender may have changed since the 1940s (Eagly, Nater, Miller, Kauffmann, & Sczesny, 2019), it appears that what has not changed are expectations within the home during a pandemic. Expectations of who will take over caregiving responsibilities when a crisis hits and who will sacrifice their career and work when a crisis is in place.
Dr. Sherylle J. Tan is an author, leadership coach, educator, and yoga teacher with over 20 years of experience in higher education, research, psychology, and non-profit consulting. Sherylle works with others to help them lead better, live well, and empower themselves. As a scholar and expert on women and leadership, Sherylle has taught courses and published articles, chapters, and books on leadership with a focus on women, gender, and inclusion. Most recently, she co-authored with Lisa DeFrank-Cole Women and Leadership: Journey Toward Equity (2021). Connect and learn more about Sherylle at www.sherylletan.com.
Originally published at https://www.sherylletan.com on January 7, 2021.
