Women, work, and families during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Examining the effects of COVID policies and looking to the future

Abstract

The far‐reaching, negative effects of the COVID‐19 pandemic have impacted healthcare, economic, public safety, and social systems globally. The public safety measures put in place in the United States during the COVID‐19 pandemic, including sheltering in places orders and shutdowns of schools and places of work, negatively impacted the employment status and increased time spent in domestic work and childcare for women. In this paper, we review and analyze the impacts, both direct and indirect, of COVID‐related policies on the lives of women. Specifically, we outline how the progression of policies aimed at addressing both public safety and economic recovery during the COVID‐19 pandemic affected women's health, paid and unpaid work, and wellbeing. We will focus on the impacts of policies implemented in the United States in comparison to policies that were implemented globally to address similar issues during the first two years of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Finally, we conclude with recommendations for policies that could prevent similar disparate impacts on women in future crises.

How the COVID‐19 global pandemic further jeopardized women's health, mental well‐being, and safety: Intersectionality framework and social policy action

“…The increased responsibilities to care for children during a global pandemic also disproportionately fall to women (e.g., Coyle et al., 2023) and the associated stress and strain endangers women's mental health. The authors point readers to a forthcoming special issue of this journal that collates scientific investigations from around the world that elucidate the gendered nature of household and childcare responsibilities and how these labors overlapped with career duties.…”

The impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on first‐generation women test‐takers: Magnifying adversities, stress, and consequences for bar exam performance

“…In closing, we note that this research can, and has in California already, informed structural and psychological interventions to bolster the success of at-risk groups in the legal profession (see . Moreover, this research highlights the need for policy prescriptions addressing adversities that these at-risk groups, including low-SES women and women of color, contend with when seeking professional advancement (also see Hayes & Lee, 2023). First, there are marked disparities on high-stakes exams attributable to the unique challenges that at-risk groups encounter, and minimum passage thresholds can systematically preclude vulnerable groups from advancing in their careers (i.e., low-SES women).…”

“…For example, argue that women were expected to shift more energy toward caregiving at home and toward emotional support in the workplace during the pandemic. In addition, the COVID-19 crisis challenged the mental health of women, especially structurally disadvantaged women (Connor et al, 2020;Hayes & Lee, 2023). Taken together, emerging research reveals that women-particularly those already at the margins-have shouldered significant additional burdens during the pandemic.…”

“…Indeed, recent research (Obioma et al, 2023) reveals that women who were already disadvantaged by gender-based social roles in the family and workplace disproportionately faced burdens and pandemic-related stress relating to caregiving and familial demands in the home. These emerging findings (Del Boca et al, 2020;Hayes & Lee, 2023;Raile et al, 2020) suggest that structurally disadvantaged women experienced the pandemic differently in terms of mental health, well-being, and professional outcomes than did structurally advantaged women or men. Crucially, the disparate experiences and affordances engendered by the pandemic have implications for the professional outcomes of structurally disadvantaged women in the short and long run, underscoring the need for policy recommendations and reforms Hayes & Lee, 2023;Ledgerwood et al, 2022).…”

“…These emerging findings (Del Boca et al, 2020;Hayes & Lee, 2023;Raile et al, 2020) suggest that structurally disadvantaged women experienced the pandemic differently in terms of mental health, well-being, and professional outcomes than did structurally advantaged women or men. Crucially, the disparate experiences and affordances engendered by the pandemic have implications for the professional outcomes of structurally disadvantaged women in the short and long run, underscoring the need for policy recommendations and reforms Hayes & Lee, 2023;Ledgerwood et al, 2022). Therefore, in the current work we investigate the impact of stressors produced by the pandemic and prevailing structural barriers on structurally disadvantaged women preparing for a high-stakes exam and consequences for professional advancement, and conclude with specific recommendations to bolster the success of at-risk groups.…”