Gender Differences in the Psychosocial Functioning of Parents During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected family life, increasing parental stress around health, job losses, reduced salaries, and maintaining domestic life in lockdown and social isolation. The transition to home-schooling and remote work with school and workplace closures caused additional stressors as families began living, working, and educating in one place. This research aims to understand the relationship between the pandemic and parental stress, focusing on family well-being and established characteristics of the family unit that may cause some family members to experience the adverse consequences of the pandemic in more or less profound ways, especially mothers. Previous research shows that mothers carry more family responsibilities than fathers and can experience higher stress levels. This study employed a quantitative cross-sectional online survey to extend our understanding of the interaction between home-schooling, work and home life, and stress levels in a group of 364 parents. In total, 232 mothers and 132 fathers completed the survey. Results revealed mothers were 10 times more likely to be responsible for home-schooling than fathers, and 44% of mothers felt they had no help with home-schooling and were generally more stressed than fathers. These results show that lack of support, managing home-schooling, and being a mother predicted increased stress. 10% of mothers reported leaving their jobs due to pressure added by home-schooling. This study broadens the understanding of the pandemic’s impact on gender imbalances in family responsibilities. It emphasises the need for extra consideration for the impact on mothers as we emerge from this pandemic.

Sociodemographic Factors Associated with Parenting Stress During Covid-19 Pandemic

“…Our result may be attributed to greater mental work taken by mothers during the pandemic than before the pandemic. A previous study showed that mothers who lacked support and had difficulty managing homeschool were generally more stressed than fathers (O'Sullivan et al, 2022). Hjálmsdóttir and Bjarnadóttir (2021) reported that mothers experienced intense emotional labor on the one hand while trying to keep everyone in their home calm and safe on the other hand.…”

The influence of alcohol consumption on Self-Rated Health and Mood during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain

“…Although from a biological perspective men were at greater risk and had more complications during the COVID-19 pandemic ( 50 , 51 ), certain gender impact has also been observed. As is well-known in the literature and among the scientific community, women present worse Self-Rated Health than men, so it is a constant today ( 52 , 53 ). Globally, women suffered more job losses than men.…”

“…Likewise, home confinement had a direct impact on household care work, mainly performed by women. Many women during this pandemic have had to make real efforts to reconcile work, teleworking and family life, and this has had a direct impact on their health and well-being ( 51 , 52 , 55 ).…”

Equal Sharing of Care: Evidence Review

“…Guilt is a major driver of mothers' considerations to reduce employment 96 . Research in Ireland found that mothers were three times more likely to leave their jobs during the pandemic because they felt guilt around being a 'good mother' 97 . Organisational culture plays a critical role with mothers experiencing more guilt than fathers in workplaces that emphasize traditional gender norms 98 .…”