How do COVID19-related restrictions affect the division of labour in families?
CSS member Dr. Thordis Reimer is involved in the international project "Familydemic", that conducts research on how restrictions imposed by governments to fight the COVID19 pandemic affect the division of labour in families.
Background of the project
The COVID19 pandemic has greatly changed our society. To a significant extent, this is due to the lockdown measures, introduced by governments to combat the pandemic. The societal changes are diverse and complex, affecting both people's working and private lives. Families with young children were particularly affected by the respective regulations related to lockdowns. On the one hand, schools and kindergartens were closed and contact with non-parental caregivers was restricted; on the other hand, many employees faced the challenge of having to work from home. Family life had to be reorganised at short notice, which led in many families to changes in the previously existing work and care arrangements. It is currently unclear how long the COVID19-related restrictions will last and how these changes have affected the division of labour in families. An analysis in international comparison is needed to better assess the consequences of governments' measures on the gender division of labour.
Objectives
The international project "Familydemic" investigates these open questions with a survey in five countries (Poland, Sweden, Germany, USA, Canada). The project is led by Prof. Dr. Anna Kurowska (University of Warsaw, Poland) & Prof. Dr. Anna Matysiak (University of Warsaw, Poland). Thordis Reimer is the representative for the study and responsible for conducting the survey in Germany. The survey includes questions in five analytical dimensions: (1) the composition of families and their socio-economic background; (2) the families’ situation in terms of paid and unpaid work before, during and after the first lockdown period; (3) the well-being of parents; (4) attitudes towards the gender division of unpaid labour and (5) changes in family life due to COVID19-related government measures. The aim of this project is to collect a quantitative database of families in five countries that will enable research on the consequences of the Covid19 pandemic for work-life balance and gender relations in families in an international comparison. A first wave will be launched in April 2021, a follow-up study is planned for 2023.
In order to give students of the social sciences at the University of Hamburg the opportunity to conduct their own research on the topic, the data collected for Germany will be made available to students as early as 2021.
The conduction of the survey in Germany is funded by the:
- Duration: 1.12.2020-30.11.2021
- Project lead in Germany: Dr. Thordis Reimer
- Sponsor: WiSo Genderförderfonds (EUR 5,000) Center for Sustainable Society Research (CSS) (EUR 1,503) COVID19 funds of Universität Hamburg (EUR 4,800)