Healthcare workers’ perception of gender and work roles during the COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed-methods study

Abstract

ObjectivesA high functioning healthcare workforce is a key priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. We sought to determine how work and mental health for healthcare workers changed during the COVID-19 pandemic in a universal healthcare system, stratified by gender factors.DesignA mixed-methods study was employed. Phase 1 was an anonymous, internet-based survey (7 May–15 July 2020). Phase 2 was semistructured interviews offered to all respondents upon survey completion to describe how experiences may have differed by gender identity, roles and relations.SettingNational universal healthcare system (Canada).Participants2058 Canadian healthcare worker survey respondents (87% women, 11% men, 1% transgender or Two-Spirit), including 783 health professionals, 673 allied health professionals, 557 health support staff. Of the 63 unique healthcare worker types reported, registered nurses (11.5%), physicians (9.9%) and pharmacists (4.5%) were most common. Forty-six healthcare workers were interviewed.Main outcome measuresReported pandemic-induced changes to occupational leadership roles and responsibilities, household and caregiving responsibilities, and anxiety levels by gender identity.ResultsMen (19.8%) were more likely to hold pandemic leadership roles compared with women (13.4%). Women (57.5%) were more likely to report increased domestic responsibilities than men (45%). Women and those with dependents under the age of 10 years reported the greatest levels of anxiety during the pandemic. Interviews with healthcare workers further revealed a perceived imbalance in leadership opportunities based on gender identity, a lack of workplace supports disproportionately affecting women and an increase in domestic responsibilities influenced by gender roles.ConclusionsThe COVID-19 pandemic response has important gendered effects on the healthcare workforce. Healthcare workers are central to effective pandemic control, highlighting an urgent need for a gender-transformative pandemic response strategy.

Willingness to Work during Public Health Emergencies: A Systematic Literature Review

“…The articles researching willingness and preparedness of health professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic correspond to a wide array of geographical contexts, given the worldwide reach of this threat: Palestine [ 32 ], Australia [ 33 , 105 ], Saudi Arabia [ 95 ], China [ 58 , 73 , 74 , 97 , 106 ], Ethiopia [ 37 , 107 ], Bangladesh [ 38 ], Spain [ 32 ], South Korea [ 43 , 47 ], Germany [ 46 , 108 ], Nepal [ 84 , 99 ], Qatar [ 82 ], Canada [ 42 ], Jordan [ 35 , 36 ], and Singapore [ 100 ].…”

“…The following are available online at , Table S1: The main global information collected from the publications. [ 8 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 ,…”

Association between physician characteristics and practice-level uptake of paediatric virtual mental healthcare: a population-based study

“…We showed substantial gender-based differences in provision of mental healthcare services with female physicians providing more exclusively virtual and less mostly in-person care compared with males. During the pandemic, female physicians may have had greater ‘dual caregiver’ roles, providing care for both patients and children at home during school closures, thereby making virtual care a more attractive and feasible option 29–31. The age findings of younger physicians (<40 years) having the highest odds of exclusively virtual mental healthcare may also reflect the dual caregiving roles and work responsibilities 29 31.…”

The SIMI Gender ‘5 Ws’ Rule for the integration of sex and gender-related variables in clinical studies towards internal medicine equitable research

“…The methodology of constructing the gender score has been validated since the inception in cohorts from retrospective and prospective studies [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. Furthermore, international scientists have been supporting the assessment of even one domain or few individual gender-related factors depending on the availability of data [20][21][22].…”