“IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE GENDERED DIVISION OF UNPAID WORK IN ISLAMABAD: A CASE OF G-10 SECTOR AND TARNOL HOUSEHOLDS”

Abstract

Following global trends, Pakistan imposed strict national lockdown in March 2021 during third wave of COVID-19 pandemic. It resulted in schools and markets closures, suspension of public transport and ban on outdoor activities. Subsequently, these restrictions put extra domestic, child and adult care workload on households, which were considered to further imbalance pre-existing gender disparities in families. Acknowledging the importance of balanced intrahousehold distribution of unpaid work as envisioned by SDG Target 5.4. and its vitality to the “egalitarian families” as advocated by UN Women, this study aimed to find the gendered impacts of COVID-19 on unpaid work time and its sub-categories at the household level. Also, it investigated the determinants of changed unpaid work patterns. In this regard, in the months of February (Pre-lockdown) and (Postlockdown) March 2021, a representative household survey was conducted at urban Islamabad where Tarnol and G-10 sector were selected due to their diverse socio-economic profile. Quantitative research approach was employed, and 199 households were targeted. Survey respondents were primary male and female care providers from each family. Data was collected through “Time Activity Matrix” method, universally used for Time-Use research. Two sample T-tests were used to determine any possible difference in mean unpaid work hours for each care givers in pre-post pandemic. Also, various socio-economic, demographic variables were used in OLS models’ estimation to understand their relationship with the difference in unpaid working hours per day by primary male and female in a household in post-pandemic scenario. Results suggest the presence of high gender inequality in unpaid domestic work, child, and adult care among primary male and female care providers in both pre- and post-pandemic times. Women from poor families were the most overburdened, contributing more than 9 unpaid work hours per day with no significant prepost difference. During COVID-19, educated men raised their unpaid work contributions more than poorly educated men, defying traditional norms. Likewise, educated mothers from affluent families’ unpaid work burden exacerbated 2 hours due to home-schooling, online classes, and lack of outsourced help. Education level, women social insurance, care-infrastructure, and television, were estimated to be vital for achieving unpaid work gender equality at the household. This study rests its novelty in its distinct primary data collected and coded subsequently under the guidelines of International Classification of Activities for Time Use Surveys ICATUS (2016) and contribute to emerging empirical evidence on unpaid work in post-COVID-19.