Has the global COVID-19 pandemic changed the division of labor at home?

Since the first outbreak in Wuhan, China in December 2019, the coronavirus (COVID-19) has continued to spread across the world without any significant slowdown until January 2023. After the World Health Organization declared a pandemic, governments around the world implemented measures to mitigate the risks of COVID-19. These measures included closing schools, cinemas, and theaters, as well as temporary lockdowns. These restrictions led to an increase in the time children spent at home, which resulted in changes in family dynamics and children’s behavior. Studies on children of different ages, from infancy to adolescence, have shown effects such as disrupted sleep patterns, increased screen time, and increased dependence on parents, as well as behavioral changes such as inattention and irritability. Especially in urban areas, where access to outdoor spaces is limited, parents had the primary responsibility to support their children through these challenges during the quarantine.

Given that mothers are often the primary caregivers, the pandemic may have deepened their burden. Some argue that the pandemic has disproportionately affected women, potentially undermining progress toward gender equality. As parents spent more time at home during lockdowns, some also had to balance working from home with increased household responsibilities. A study of Canadian parents found that factors such as increased time available and the shift to remote work may have led to fathers becoming more involved in housework and childcare, especially as they became more aware of caregiving needs that they had previously overlooked. Comparing perceptions of housework before and during the pandemic, the researchers found little movement toward more equal task sharing earlier in the pandemic. However, research conducted in cultures with more collectivist values ​​suggests that the gender gap in housework has either persisted or widened during COVID-19. Despite initial changes observed in some places, the overall trend in these cultures was towards maintaining the dominant traditional gender role, with women bearing a disproportionate share of domestic responsibilities.

While factors such as work conditions influence fathers’ involvement in child care, research highlights the significant influence of mothers as gatekeepers of the father-child relationship. Maternal gating encompasses mothers’ preferences and efforts to control fathers’ involvement in household and child care activities. Mothers can either encourage (gatekeeping) or discourage (gatekeeping) fathers’ participation through their attitudes and behaviors. Encouraging fathers’ paternal involvement is crucial to nurturing the father-child bond, whereas maternal behaviors that limit fathers’ involvement can create barriers. Despite the growing emphasis on the importance of fathers’ involvement for healthy child development, household tasks, including child care, are still viewed primarily as women’s responsibilities, rooted in traditional gender roles.

Our study of 91 Turkish couples with at least one child aged 0 to 5 years found that mothers spent more time on housework and childcare compared to fathers during the second wave of COVID-19, regardless of whether they worked from home or not. While some studies suggest that women spend more time on housework when working from home, our findings suggest that other factors, beyond the work context, drive the gender gap in household responsibilities.

In collectivist cultures such as Turkey, certain social roles are deeply ingrained. These roles lead to concerns about meeting family expectations, even when circumstances allow for a redefinition of parenting roles. Despite women’s increasing participation in full-time employment, mothers continue to prioritize childcare and housework, often to protect their investment in their children and maintain their position in the marriage. In other words, women sometimes compensate for being the primary breadwinner by taking on more household tasks.

During the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey, both mothers and fathers spent more time on childcare when both parents worked at home. While mothers spent less time on childcare when only fathers worked at home, fathers maintained or increased their work hours. Moreover, fathers perceived higher levels of parental control than mothers, which is consistent with previous research in Turkey. This suggests that women’s responsibilities in terms of housework and childcare remain stable regardless of their employment status. These perceptions were less influenced by the fathers’ work context.

Encouraging fathers to become more involved in childcare and housework is crucial for children’s development and promoting gender equality. Understanding the barriers to father involvement, including mothers’ attitudes and behaviors, is essential to informing interventions and social policies aimed at promoting more egalitarian family dynamics.

F. Kubra Aytac is a doctoral candidate in psychology at Ohio State University. Her primary research interests include adult attachment, coparenting, couple relationships, and mental health.

The study discussed in this blog was published in the Journal of Child and Family StudiesI would like to express my appreciation to my supervisor and co-author, Dr. Sarah J. Schoppe-Sullivan.