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Emotional and financial health during COVID‐19: The role of housework, employment and childcare in Australia and the United States

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  • Leah Ruppanner
  • Xiao Tan
  • Andrea Carson
  • Shaun Ratcliff

Abstract

During the first few months of the COVID‐19 pandemic, the world witnessed major economic, school, and daycare closures. We sampled respondents in Australia and the US during the height of the first restrictions to understand how the first quarantine structured their emotional strain and financial worry (825 Australians and 835 Americans aged between 18 and 65; May 2–3, 2020; source YouGov). We apply structural equation modeling to demonstrate that the emotional well‐being impacts of COVID‐19 are not only gendered but also vary between childless people and parents. Specifically, we show that compared to Australians, Americans were more impacted by changes in their financial circumstances. Further, while the financial worry and emotional strain impacts were similar between childless people and parents in Australia, significant differences existed between the two groups in the United States. In particular, we identify American mothers as the most disadvantaged group—feeling the most anxious and financially worried about both employment and domestic changes under COVID‐19. Policy wise, we argue that COVID‐19 is exacerbating gender inequality in emotional health. To slow down this trend, more adequate mental health supports are needed, particularly for mothers.

Suggested Citation

  • Leah Ruppanner & Xiao Tan & Andrea Carson & Shaun Ratcliff, 2021. "Emotional and financial health during COVID‐19: The role of housework, employment and childcare in Australia and the United States," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(5), pages 1937-1955, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:gender:v:28:y:2021:i:5:p:1937-1955
    DOI: 10.1111/gwao.12727
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Baobao Zhang & Sarah Kreps & Nina McMurry & R Miles McCain, 2020. "Americans’ perceptions of privacy and surveillance in the COVID-19 pandemic," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(12), pages 1-16, December.
    2. Zhang, Baobao & Kreps, Sarah E. & McMurry, Nina, 2020. "Americans' perceptions of privacy and surveillance in the COVID-19 Pandemic," OSF Preprints 9wz3y, Center for Open Science.
    3. Lyn Craig & Brendan Churchill, 2021. "Dual‐earner parent couples’ work and care during COVID‐19," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(S1), pages 66-79, January.
    4. Cevat Giray Aksoy & Michael Ganslmeier & Panu Poutvaara, 2020. "Public Attention and Policy Responses to Covid-19 Pandemic," CESifo Working Paper Series 8409, CESifo.
    5. Zhang, Baobao & Kreps, Sarah & McMurry, Nina & McCain, R. Miles, 2020. "Americans’ perceptions of privacy and surveillance in the COVID-19 pandemic," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 15(12), pages 1-1.
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    Cited by:

    1. Heidi Reed, 2023. "“When money is more valuable than people…”: The pandemic as a call for business to care," Post-Print hal-04461114, HAL.
    2. Ketoki Mazumdar & Sneha Parekh & Isha Sen, 2023. "Mothering load: Underlying realities of professionally engaged Indian mothers during a global crisis," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(3), pages 1080-1103, May.
    3. Awish Aslam & Tracey L. Adams, 2022. "“The workload is staggering”: Changing working conditions of stay‐at‐home mothers under COVID‐19 lockdowns," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(6), pages 1764-1778, November.

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