Gender expressions in the care and COVID-19 prevention process during the pandemic: reflections from and to social occupational therapy

Abstract

This article discusses the expressions of gender in the care and prevention process of COVID-19 and seeks to explain the manifestations of sexism in issues related to the changes in daily life caused by the pandemic, in addition to reflecting on the possibilities of actions of occupational therapy in this context. The investigation presented in this article unfolded from a broader project, entitled: “Inequalities and vulnerabilities in the COVID-19 epidemic: monitoring, analysis, and recommendations”, carried out between May and November 2020, whose general objective was to assess the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in more vulnerable neighborhoods of the municipalities where the study was carried out. The methodology was based on the use of material produced in the field research process; this is a qualitative study that focused on the information obtained through conversation circles, interviews, application of questionnaires, the production of reports and field diaries, and the articulation of this material with theoretical references that favor social occupational therapy and gender studies. Among the results, it’s possible to highlight the different ways in which men and women comprehended the period and established their ways of life in the pandemic, in addition to the different attitudes and behaviors towards the care necessary to prevent COVID-19. The critique of hegemonic masculinity allows for an accumulation of knowledge that favors the development of interventional processes, such as the carrying out of activity workshops and conversation circles that aim to soften the reflexes of this thought on society.