Summary:
Titled the ‘Impact of the pandemic Covid-19 on youth, women and family – the perceptions of educated youth’, the study explored various facets of the pandemic and lockdown, and their impact on family bonding, career and job prospects, online education, gender roles, etc.
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Staying at home for longer periods during the Covid-19-induced lockdown helped more men understand gender inequalities in the division of household chores and it changed their attitude towards women, revealed a study conducted by Dr P Usha, director, Dr Durgabai Deshmukh Centre for Women’s Studies, Andhra University.
Titled the ‘Impact of the pandemic Covid-19 on youth, women and family – the perceptions of educated youth’, the study explored various facets of the pandemic and lockdown, and their impact on family bonding, career and job prospects, online education, gender roles, etc.
Dr Usha said Covid-19 taught many lessons.
“Thanks to the prolonged lockdown, men understood the gender disparity in domestic responsibilities.
Generally, it has not been the case as several women have to precariously balance household chores and jobs or other works.
At least three-fourths of the study respondents rooted for distribution of domestic work as they observed a significant positive change in their attitude during the lockdown period,” said Dr Usha.
Dr Usha added that even though people had a hard time adjusting to the new normal of working and studying from home, the lockdown strengthened bonding among family members as they spent quality time together.
“The striking point was the majority of youth are not particular about the norms of marriage and family institutions as they prioritise career.
A noteworthy point was that half of the study participants did not witness any violence against women and girls in their family or neighbouring households,” said Dr Usha.
Findings of the study also show that some respondents were confused about career and education due to the pandemic.