Pandemic work/life balance burden falls more on women

The shift to staying at home to stem the spread of COVID-19 may have a greater adverse effect on women, sociologist Shelley Correll argues.

For the first time in modern history, three of our major social institutions—work, school, and family life—are all happening in one physical place: our homes.

“Even in the best of times, the great majority of employees report experiencing conflict between the demands of work and the demands of family,” says Correll, a professor of sociology, professor of women’s leadership, and director of the VMware Women’s Leadership Innovation Lab at Stanford University.

“For heterosexual couples, resolving this conflict is decidedly gendered, with women continuing to perform significantly more housework and childcare, leaving men more time to focus on work.”

To better understand inclusion and equity concerns during the pandemic, Correll and her team recently convened a focus group of 27 leaders from the corporate and nonprofit sectors.

“We were interested in understanding how the new work-family arrangements occasioned by the pandemic are affecting employees and what organizations are doing to support their employees during these challenging times,” she says.

Correll’s research centers on gender, workplace dynamics, and organizational culture including biases and barriers that limit women’s full participation in society.

Here, Correll discusses some of the findings from the group’s discussions:

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