The COVID-19 pandemic has really made our lives difficult. When the pandemic first broke out in the nation, most office-goers rejoiced since they no longer had to go to work and could work from home with ease.?
But this only turned out to be a curse in disguise with people experiencing immense workloads and caused the line between work hours and home hours to faintly disappear.?
And it has been women, especially working mothers, who have been silently suffering the worst -- dealing with kids as well as household chores along with workloads. LinkedIn’s Workforce Confidence Index showed something similar.
This survey tried to analyse the health of the workforce and productivity in India in terms of the way amidst the ongoing pandemic. They found that working from home has been taking a massive toll on the emotional well-being of women in India. 47 percent of women reported more stress and anxiety due to the COVID-19 pandemic as opposed to 38 percent for men.?
The survey also highlighted that one in three women who are remote working are providing childcare, amounting to 31 percent, compared to 1 in 5 men amounting to 17 percent.?
Moreover, 2 in 5 working mothers are working outside their businesses hours to look after their family and children. In fact, only one in five (20 percent) working mothers has help from family or friends to take care of their children as opposed to 32 percent for men.?
The survey also found that? 42 percent of mothers are unable to focus on their work with kids needing constant attention, whereas 46 percent of mothers are working till late to compensate for the time lost and complete daily work targets.?
Neha Bagaria, CEO, JobsForHer says, “One factor is balancing office and domestic work - the bulk of the latter being shouldered by women. Studies reveal increased participation of men during the pandemic, but women still spend most time caring?for children.”
Studies have already highlighted how the workforce is working harder and longer than before, with people giving 48 minutes more every day.?
In fact, studies have also shown that even though some people are experiencing better productivity, there are? many have also been procrastinating.?