The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the family lives of many workers, including academic staff at institutions of higher education. In particular, the pandemic may have reversed the trend toward a more egalitarian division of household labor in the United States. This paper examines how gender and parenthood related to changes in the division of labor within the households of faculty at three small private colleges in the United States. We specifically look at whether the division of household labor, childcare, and supervision of children’s remote learning varied by gender and parental status in early stages of the pandemic in spring and summer of 2020. We then ask whether gender and parental status were associated with changes in work-life balance.
Tenure stream faculty (n = 193) from three small private liberal arts colleges responded to an online survey between May and September 2020. Separate univariate ANOVAs revealed a significant effect of gender on doing laundry, cleaning the house, cooking, and washing the dishes, with women faculty more likely to be responsible for doing the laundry, cooking, and cleaning the house and men more likely to be responsible for washing the dishes. Women were more likely than men to be responsible for 11 of 14 child care tasks and 10 of the 12 children’s remote learning tasks. Univariate ANOVA revealed that faculty who had children between the ages of 0-12 typically reported a greater decline in satisfaction with work-life balance during the pandemic in comparison to those with no children in this age range. During the early stages of the pandemic, women faculty who were actively parenting children under the age of 13 did more household work, more childcare, and more supervision of children’s remote learning than men faculty did. Not surprisingly, they reported a greater decrease in satisfaction with work-life balance.
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the family lives of many workers, including academic staff at institutions of higher education. In particular, the pandemic may have reversed the trend toward a more egalitarian division of household labor in the United States. This paper examines how gender and parenthood related to changes in the division of labor within the households of faculty at three small private colleges in the United States. We specifically look at whether the division of household labor, childcare, and supervision of children’s remote learning varied by gender and parental status in early stages of the pandemic in spring and summer of 2020. We then ask whether gender and parental status were associated with changes in work-life balance.
Tenure stream faculty (n = 193) from three small private liberal arts colleges responded to an online survey between May and September 2020. Separate univariate ANOVAs revealed a significant effect of gender on doing laundry, cleaning the house, cooking, and washing the dishes, with women faculty more likely to be responsible for doing the laundry, cooking, and cleaning the house and men more likely to be responsible for washing the dishes. Women were more likely than men to be responsible for 11 of 14 child care tasks and 10 of the 12 children’s remote learning tasks. Univariate ANOVA revealed that faculty who had children between the ages of 0-12 typically reported a greater decline in satisfaction with work-life balance during the pandemic in comparison to those with no children in this age range. During the early stages of the pandemic, women faculty who were actively parenting children under the age of 13 did more household work, more childcare, and more supervision of children’s remote learning than men faculty did. Not surprisingly, they reported a greater decrease in satisfaction with work-life balance.
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the family lives of many workers, including academic staff at institutions of higher education. In particular, the pandemic may have reversed the trend toward a more egalitarian division of household labor in the United States. This paper examines how gender and parenthood related to changes in the division of labor within the households of faculty at three small private colleges in the United States. We specifically look at whether the division of household labor, childcare, and supervision of children’s remote learning varied by gender and parental status in early stages of the pandemic in spring and summer of 2020. We then ask whether gender and parental status were associated with changes in work-life balance.
Tenure stream faculty (n = 193) from three small private liberal arts colleges responded to an online survey between May and September 2020. Separate univariate ANOVAs revealed a significant effect of gender on doing laundry, cleaning the house, cooking, and washing the dishes, with women faculty more likely to be responsible for doing the laundry, cooking, and cleaning the house and men more likely to be responsible for washing the dishes. Women were more likely than men to be responsible for 11 of 14 child care tasks and 10 of the 12 children’s remote learning tasks. Univariate ANOVA revealed that faculty who had children between the ages of 0-12 typically reported a greater decline in satisfaction with work-life balance during the pandemic in comparison to those with no children in this age range. During the early stages of the pandemic, women faculty who were actively parenting children under the age of 13 did more household work, more childcare, and more supervision of children’s remote learning than men faculty did. Not surprisingly, they reported a greater decrease in satisfaction with work-life balance.
Keywords
COVID-19 pandemic
divison of labor
higher education
work-life balance
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the family lives of many workers, including academic staff at institutions of higher education. In particular, the pandemic may have reversed the trend toward a more egalitarian division of household labor in the United States. This paper examines how gender and parenthood related to changes in the division of labor within the households of faculty at three small private colleges in the United States. We specifically look at whether the division of household labor, childcare, and supervision of children’s remote learning varied by gender and parental status in early stages of the pandemic in spring and summer of 2020. We then ask whether gender and parental status were associated with changes in work-life balance.
Tenure stream faculty (n = 193) from three small private liberal arts colleges responded to an online survey between May and September 2020. Separate univariate ANOVAs revealed a significant effect of gender on doing laundry, cleaning the house, cooking, and washing the dishes, with women faculty more likely to be responsible for doing the laundry, cooking, and cleaning the house and men more likely to be responsible for washing the dishes. Women were more likely than men to be responsible for 11 of 14 child care tasks and 10 of the 12 children’s remote learning tasks. Univariate ANOVA revealed that faculty who had children between the ages of 0-12 typically reported a greater decline in satisfaction with work-life balance during the pandemic in comparison to those with no children in this age range. During the early stages of the pandemic, women faculty who were actively parenting children under the age of 13 did more household work, more childcare, and more supervision of children’s remote learning than men faculty did. Not surprisingly, they reported a greater decrease in satisfaction with work-life balance.
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the family lives of many workers, including academic staff at institutions of higher education. In particular, the pandemic may have reversed the trend toward a more egalitarian division of household labor in the United States. This paper examines how gender and parenthood related to changes in the division of labor within the households of faculty at three small private colleges in the United States. We specifically look at whether the division of household labor, childcare, and supervision of children’s remote learning varied by gender and parental status in early stages of the pandemic in spring and summer of 2020. We then ask whether gender and parental status were associated with changes in work-life balance.
Tenure stream faculty (n = 193) from three small private liberal arts colleges responded to an online survey between May and September 2020. Separate univariate ANOVAs revealed a significant effect of gender on doing laundry, cleaning the house, cooking, and washing the dishes, with women faculty more likely to be responsible for doing the laundry, cooking, and cleaning the house and men more likely to be responsible for washing the dishes. Women were more likely than men to be responsible for 11 of 14 child care tasks and 10 of the 12 children’s remote learning tasks. Univariate ANOVA revealed that faculty who had children between the ages of 0-12 typically reported a greater decline in satisfaction with work-life balance during the pandemic in comparison to those with no children in this age range. During the early stages of the pandemic, women faculty who were actively parenting children under the age of 13 did more household work, more childcare, and more supervision of children’s remote learning than men faculty did. Not surprisingly, they reported a greater decrease in satisfaction with work-life balance.
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the family lives of many workers, including academic staff at institutions of higher education. In particular, the pandemic may have reversed the trend toward a more egalitarian division of household labor in the United States. This paper examines how gender and parenthood related to changes in the division of labor within the households of faculty at three small private colleges in the United States. We specifically look at whether the division of household labor, childcare, and supervision of children’s remote learning varied by gender and parental status in early stages of the pandemic in spring and summer of 2020. We then ask whether gender and parental status were associated with changes in work-life balance.
Tenure stream faculty (n = 193) from three small private liberal arts colleges responded to an online survey between May and September 2020. Separate univariate ANOVAs revealed a significant effect of gender on doing laundry, cleaning the house, cooking, and washing the dishes, with women faculty more likely to be responsible for doing the laundry, cooking, and cleaning the house and men more likely to be responsible for washing the dishes. Women were more likely than men to be responsible for 11 of 14 child care tasks and 10 of the 12 children’s remote learning tasks. Univariate ANOVA revealed that faculty who had children between the ages of 0-12 typically reported a greater decline in satisfaction with work-life balance during the pandemic in comparison to those with no children in this age range. During the early stages of the pandemic, women faculty who were actively parenting children under the age of 13 did more household work, more childcare, and more supervision of children’s remote learning than men faculty did. Not surprisingly, they reported a greater decrease in satisfaction with work-life balance.
Keywords
COVID-19 pandemic
divison of labor
higher education
work-life balance
