Why women are getting the most work while everyone is working from home
Whilst there is no way of really knowing how long this pandemic will last, there are several people making the most of it. It is great to spend more time with your family, with your partners and even spend less money on food, takeaways, commuting and travel. Several people are earning more, saving more, and looking forward to a brighter future.
As with anything, there are always gender issues to consider and stereotypes to overcome. Whilst there is no way of predicting the societal or economic consequences of the pandemic, it is clear that those people who can mix home life and work, will benefit the most in the long term. The more adaptable the person, the better that they will do in this current climate.
There are some great advantages to working from home, there are also disadvantages. These disadvantages can affect the business, the health, the mental health or the family. Firstly, it is great to save time and money on commutes, to be able to work more flexibly, and to have a better work-life balance. Spending more time with family and children can mean a better foundation and a more supportive family.
Working longer hours, mixing meetings and presentations with doing the dishes, changing nappies (diapers), taking the trash out, and cooking can be very draining on people. Because of the distractions at home, several employees felt alienated, demotivated, and unable to develop a work habit. The distractions can cause high blood pressure, stress and health issues. It is challenging to have a fixed routine, it is hard to maintain multiple projects at the same time due to too many distractions and impacts on time.
Work from home, interestingly, places working women in a unique predicament. Due to a shortage of domestic help during the lockdown and societal gender stereotypes remaining in place, many working women saw their personal and professional boundaries blurring, causing them to feel strained and anxious.
Moreover, women are far more likely than men to leave their work, transfer occupations, or reduce their hours. Why? There are many causes, but some of the most important include the high expense of childcare, a lack of support for mothers, poor parental leave legislation, and cultural expectations. They’ve also had to deal with potential prejudices inside the organisation and supervisors who believed that women would be less productive during WFH.
Having a family that can share the chores, delegate the tasks and work together can help husbands, wives, fathers and mothers to get more from the work-life balance that working from home brings
