Mothering with a career during a pandemic; the case of the Ghanaian woman
Publisher DOI
Abstract
The paper examines the multi‐tasked role of women in caregiving and career during the COVID‐19 partial lockdown in Ghana. One hundred fifty three mothers with careers within the Accra Metropolis participated in the study through purposive and snow balling sampling methods of non‐probability sampling technique. To observe the COVID‐19 protocols of social distancing, the research instrument was designed using Google forms and distributed to respondents via social media platforms (emails and WhatsApp). The results revealed that caregiving mothers generally reported to work late from home than if there were in the office and were less effective and productive working from home but were assured of job security because they mostly worked in the public sector. Hours used for domestic activities rose steadily during the lockdown period and social support from non‐relatives in caregiving increased. The paper’s finding suggests that mothers working from home are faced with difficult and conflicting roles which puts more pressure on women during the pandemic period. Women who are unable to access social support continue to be stressed and burdened in an attempt to combine family, care giving, and career roles which ultimately affect their overall wellbeing.
Date Issued
2021-05-26
Publication Type
Article
Subject(s)
Subjects
Pandemic
•
Gender
•
Women
•
Ghana
•
Mothering
•
caregiving
•
career
Language(s)
en
Author(s)
Additional Credits
Journal
Gender, Work & Organization
Publisher
Wiley
ISSN
0968-6673
1468-0432
Access(Rights)
restricted