Feminism and COVID: Reading the Atlantic Article and reflecting on how patterns of divided labor, inside and outside the home, affect women and men differently
After reading the article, “The Coronavirus Is a Disaster for Feminism: Pandemics affect men and women differently,” I learned ways in which the coronavirus pandemic is affecting men and women inside and outside the home. The article starts off by talking about how, “ Women’s independence will be a silent victim of the pandemic and that the coronavirus appears to affect women less severely.” With pandemics and isolation/social distancing/quarantining comes at the cost of everyday income. With this outbreak, “We are not just living through a public-health crisis, but an economic one. As much of normal life is suspended for three months or more, job losses are inevitable.” Life in the workforce has advanced throughout the years in which both men and women in the household can work. However, with the outbreak, households have had to take questions into consideration of whether or not both can maintain a work schedule with children at home for school. The thought process has been, “this unpaid caring labor—will fall more heavily on women, because of the existing structure of the workforce. “It’s not just about social norms of women performing care roles; it’s also about practicalities,” Wenham added. “Who is paid less? Who has the flexibility? In heterosexual relationships, women are more likely to be the lower earners, meaning their jobs are considered a lower priority when disruptions come along.”
