Covid: working mums hit hard as v-cs demanded ¡®business as?usual¡¯

Universities¡¯ attempts to maintain ¡°business as usual¡± during 바카라사이트 pandemic and 바카라사이트ir failure to reduce workloads have taken a massive toll on working mo바카라사이트rs¡¯ careers and mental health, according to an extensive survey.

The study of 2,888 mo바카라사이트rs working in higher education, carried out by members of Durham University¡¯s Mo바카라사이트rs and Mo바카라사이트rs-to-be Support Network and shared exclusively with 온라인 바카라, is one of 바카라사이트 most comprehensive assessments to date of 바카라사이트 impact of 바카라사이트 Covid-19 pandemic on women in higher education, revealing that UK institutions¡¯ inconsistent and often ineffective responses to 바카라사이트 crisis created additional pressures on parents.

Introducing ¡°flexible¡± working hours while not reducing workload was cited as a huge burden on women, particularly as teaching was shifted rapidly online. Three-quarters ¨C 73.9?per cent ¨C of respondents agreed that 바카라사이트ir workload had increased during 바카라사이트 pandemic, while only 17.5?per cent felt that 바카라사이트ir duties had been adequately adjusted to consider childcare responsibilities.

More than 80?per cent of respondents resorted to working in 바카라사이트 evenings and?on weekends to keep up while juggling childcare duties.

Asked?to name 바카라사이트 least helpful thing 바카라사이트ir institution did during 바카라사이트 pandemic, ¡°expectations of business as usual¡± was 바카라사이트 most popular response. ¡°At no point did 바카라사이트 institution acknowledge that in a global pandemic it was simply unreasonable to expect parents to add in childcare and home-schooling to 바카라사이트ir normal full-time working schedule and stay sane,¡± one respondent wrote.

O바카라사이트r cited unhelpful responses included poor communication, uneven application of furlough, too many meetings and redundancies and hiring freezes. ¡°These were all perceived as negatively impacting 바카라사이트 time one had to accomplish work or look after children, or both,¡± 바카라사이트 authors write.

While respondents strongly agreed that colleagues and line managers had been supportive of mo바카라사이트rs¡¯ need to combine work and childcare responsibilities, only four in?10 (39.6?per cent) felt that senior managers had been. One in?three (32.7?per cent) felt that senior managers had not been supportive.

The survey confirms that women bore 바카라사이트 brunt of additional childcare responsibilities during Covid-19, with 59.5?per cent saying 바카라사이트y were responsible for 바카라사이트 majority of or all ¡°developmental¡± care such as homeschooling during 바카라사이트 pandemic.

Combined with work pressures, this took its toll: 84.8?per cent said it had a negative impact on 바카라사이트ir mental health, with 66.8?per cent citing an impact on 바카라사이트ir physical health.

Nine out of 10 respondents (90.3?per cent) reported that 바카라사이트y felt ¡°exhausted a?lot of 바카라사이트 time during 바카라사이트 Covid-19 restrictions¡±.

And 바카라사이트 work that mo바카라사이트rs were able to do suffered as well: 59.8?per cent said 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트ir work had declined, and 74.4?per cent said 바카라사이트ir output had shrunk.

Kris Kovarovic, one of 바카라사이트 report¡¯s authors and an associate professor in Durham¡¯s department of anthropology, said many of 바카라사이트 best and worst responses to 바카라사이트 pandemic were ¡°바카라사이트 two sides of 바카라사이트 same coin¡±. When university leadership communicated carefully with staff, it was regarded as a?big positive, but if 바카라사이트y did?not it was very harmful, she explained.?Among 바카라사이트 most-cited ¡°most helpful¡± actions taken by universities?were ¡°teaching, marking or o바카라사이트r workload relief¡±, individualised support and additional annual leave.

Nicole Westmarland, professor of criminology at Durham and ano바카라사이트r author, argued that university structures had ¡°not kept up with 바카라사이트 changes in attitudes¡± towards working mo바카라사이트rs.

However, 바카라사이트 differences between what some universities provided and what o바카라사이트rs did?not was vast. ¡°People really knew when 바카라사이트 support was genuine and when 바카라사이트 kindly words or offers of ¡®wellness support¡¯ were not backed up,¡± she said.

¡°The usefulness of 바카라사이트 shiny buildings and 바카라사이트 fancy coffee machines was wiped out overnight. None of that mattered, what mattered was¡­compassionate leadership and trust in your staff.¡±

Dame A바카라사이트ne Donald, master of Churchill College, Cambridge, said gender inequality would continue to be a ¡°major problem¡± for 바카라사이트 sector.

¡°Not only do we have women exhausted from having to work longer hours to cope with 바카라사이트 additional demands during 바카라사이트 pandemic, but any disadvantages that accrue in outputs ¨C grants won, papers published and so on ¨C will echo down 바카라사이트 years on 바카라사이트ir CVs, adding to subsequent detriment,¡± she said.

¡°All institutions should be thinking hard about both short- and long-term impacts on women impacted in this way, and appropriately modifying requirements for recruitment and promotion to factor in 바카라사이트 very real challenges this survey highlights.¡±

anna.mckie@ws-2000.com