A new study by Lídia Ferré (Universitat de Barcelona) and Libertad González (UPF and BSE) documents the changes in men and women’s time dedication to work inside and outside the home (paid and unpaid work), two years after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In their analysis of data from before, during, and after the first lockdown in March 2020, the researchers find “changes in the organization of family and working life that could favor gender equality inside and outside the home.” They argue that “men's increased exposure to domestic tasks and care during lockdown, together with the introduction of more flexible working practices such as working from home and a shortened working day, might be partly responsible for the observed changes in household behavior.”
In order to make sustained progress toward gender equality in the long-term, Ferré and González suggest the continued promotion of measures that “reduce the importance of attendance at the workplace and discourage long working days.”
This study was commissioned by the Social Observatory of "La Caixa" Foundation.
