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Social Considerations of COVID-19: Gendered Impacts Focus

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainability in Geographic Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2021) | Viewed by 16472

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Tehmina Khan

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Guest Editor

School of Accounting, Information Systems and Supply Chain, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Interests: sustainability accounting; communications; policy and accountability; business action for sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Pavithra Siriwardhane

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Accounting, Information Systems and Supply Chain, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Interests: social accounting; accountability in diverse settings; gender and diversity in professions; accounting education and business ethics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of Sustainability covers gendered social issues in the current COVID-19 environment. As the Australian Work Place Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) has identifed, different sectors face differential gendered impacts currently and in the future (2020).

In the current environment, the burden of increased family responsbilities has been more pronounced for females, in comparison to males. The occurence of domestic violence (predominantly against women) has also increased.

It is found that a higher proportion of women are withdrawing superannuation compared to men. This is widening the gap between men and women in relation to the amount of income available in retirement age. There are numerous other gendered issues which have either become more pronounced or have eventuated specifically in the current COVID-19 environment.

We invite papers which address topics including (but not limited to):

COVID-19 policies and gendered impacts,
Domestic violence policies in the COVID-19 environment,
Economic opportunities for women in the COVID-19 environment,
Access to education in the COVID-19 environment,
Gender balance and equality at workplaces in the COVID-19 environment,
Working arrangements and gendered impacts,
Gendered vulnerabilities in the COVID-19 environment.

Dr. Tehmina Khan
Dr. Pavithra Siriwardhane
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

COVID-19
social impacts
gendered

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 1089 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Gendered Factors Associated with Preventive Behaviors and Mental Health among Chinese Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic Home Quarantine

by Shu-Mei Liu, Shu-Fang Shih, Bo Meng, Rui Zhen, Xiao-Ben Pan, Eric Ng, Chia-Hsuan Hsu and Wei-Ta Fang

Sustainability 2021, 13(19), 10819; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su131910819 - 29 Sep 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2423

Abstract

The outbreak of the coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19) has greatly impacted the life and mental health of many people globally. The objective of this study was to investigate the factors associated with preventive behaviors and mental health among Chinese adults during their home quarantine in the COVID-19 period. An online questionnaire survey was administered in March 2020. The study participants were adults aged between 18 and 70 years old from 31 provinces in China. Of the 3878 participants, 1314 reported moderate levels of anxiety, and the remaining participants reported moderate to severe levels of anxiety. Findings revealed that females aged between 18 and 30 years old who had higher educational qualifications, greater levels of preventive knowledge, trust in the government, and resided in urban and medium-risk areas (R² = 0.100, F = 27.97, p < 0.001) were more likely to exhibit preventive behaviors. In contrast, a higher negative emotional response was generally seen in males who had low levels of preventive knowledge and behaviors, higher risk perception of infection, lower trust in the government, and unhealthy lifestyles (R² = 0.127, F = 32.33, p < 0.001). In addition, the high-risk perception of infection was positively associated with high odds of anxiety (AOR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.10–1.24), whereas a greater level of preventive knowledge (AOR = 0.36, 95% CI: 0.19–0.70) and behaviors (AOR = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.57–0.84), higher trust in the government’s COVID-19 pandemic mitigation measures (AOR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.71–0.83), and a healthier lifestyle (AOR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.79–0.99) were negatively associated with high odds of anxiety. Results showed that a lower level of anxiety and negative emotional response were associated with better preventive behaviors against COVID-19, which were influenced by preventive knowledge, risk perception, trust in the government’s COVID-19 pandemic mitigation measures, and healthy lifestyle. Findings in this study could help formulate health interventions for vulnerable groups related to gendered vulnerabilities in the COVID-19 environment to improve their mental health and preventive behaviors, especially during the period of a pandemic. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Considerations of COVID-19: Gendered Impacts Focus)

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30 pages, 14134 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring Returnee Migrant Women, COVID-19 and Sustainability in Spain

by Maria Luisa Di Martino

Sustainability 2021, 13(17), 9653; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13179653 - 27 Aug 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2764

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has signified an historical change in human mobility. By transforming the patterns of people on the move, it has highlighted gender-based inequalities and women’s vulnerabilities. The link between COVID-19 and return migration shapes returnees’ readaptation process in their home countries, as returnees are embedded in a limbo between the pandemic’s pressure on the policy and socio-economic setting, on one hand, and their efforts for reintegration, on the other. Due to the pandemic, the gender-based imbalance has increased existing gender gaps both in migration and return, exacerbating women’s vulnerability. Thus, personal aspirations and professional expectations of highly educated women are caught in a system of socio-economic and geographical (im)mobility, which represents the principal outcome in their relocation and readaptation process. Based on a qualitative methodology through the analysis of ten life histories of highly educated returnee migrant women, this paper sheds light on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on their migratory trajectories, providing a typology of them. Findings stress the necessity for more sustainable measures and resources for life–work balance and gender-sensitive policies, to promote a better integration process into the local labour market; to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on returnee women, and to prevent the proliferation of mental health problems among returnee women. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Considerations of COVID-19: Gendered Impacts Focus)

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19 pages, 2555 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Barriers to Career Progression in the Higher Education Sector: Perceptions of Australian Academics

by Tehmina Khan and Pavithra Siriwardhane

Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 6255; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13116255 - 01 Jun 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3890

Abstract

There are multiple factors that can potentially impact the career progression of academics to professoriate level (referred to as levels D and E in Australia). This research provides a detailed understanding of critical factors (by gender) that negatively influence career progressions. Perceptions of factors that influence career progressions have been found to be more pronounced amongst female academics in STEMM and business disciplines. The conventional view of family commitments as being a hindrance to career progression has not been supported in our data. On the contrary, it is the organizational factors that would appear to be prevalent at an institutional level that seems to be significant barriers to the career progression. Particularly for female academics’ progression to levels D and E. The most prominent factors identified through confirmatory factor analysis conducted in the study are workloads and a lack of resources to undertake research and to generate research performance, which is a critical impacting factor for career progression to professoriate levels. These factors have been exacerbated by COVID-19. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Considerations of COVID-19: Gendered Impacts Focus)

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12 pages, 271 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Gender Differences on Psychosocial Factors Affecting COVID-19 Preventive Behaviors

by Nicolás Bronfman, Paula Repetto, Paola Cordón, Javiera Castañeda and Pamela Cisternas

Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 6148; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13116148 - 30 May 2021

Cited by 35 | Viewed by 3474

Abstract

Previous studies have reported differences between men and women in the adoption of preventive behaviors against infectious diseases. This study aims to examine gender differences on a set of psychosocial factors shown to influence preventive behaviors against infectious diseases such as COVID-19. We conducted a web survey (N = 1.004) a few weeks after the end of the peak of the first wave of infections in Chile. The survey assessed participants’ perception of risk and worry about the COVID-19 pandemic, confidence in the government’s competence and integrity in dealing with the crisis, attribution of responsibility to various stakeholders, and adoption of preventive behaviors such as hygiene, distancing, and information-seeking. Our results confirm significant gender-based differences for both the psychosocial factors and the adoption of preventive behaviors. We conclude that women show a higher level of worry and fear of the pandemic and are keener to adopt preventive hygiene and social distancing behaviors. Similarly, participants report a low level of trust in government authorities, with women reporting the lowest trust level. The implications of these findings for the design of future risk communication strategies are discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Considerations of COVID-19: Gendered Impacts Focus)

Review

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18 pages, 903 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Gendered Nature of the Risk Factors of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Gender Equality: A Literature Review from a Vulnerability Perspective

by Pavithra Siriwardhane and Tehmina Khan

Sustainability 2021, 13(23), 13375; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132313375 - 02 Dec 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2800

Abstract

The risk factors of COVID-19 are not gender-neutral but gendered. A vulnerability approach to pandemics suggests that females are more prone to risk exposure while there are inequalities in accessing resources and opportunities. These inequalities create a gendered pandemic vulnerability. The current article addresses the specific vulnerability on the gendered risk factors encountered by girls and women due to the gendered pandemic in a global context and their impacts on gender inequality. This study analyses the existing literature on the gendered pandemic and risk factors on females that lead to gender inequality during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, this study adopts a vulnerability approach to the pandemic as an analytical concept. Our findings from the systematic literature review suggest that women’s pre-existing vulnerabilities are exacerbated in the wake of the pandemic due to the gendered risk factors worsening the gender equality gap. We conclude by arguing that our study’s finding supports a vulnerability approach to disasters. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Social Considerations of COVID-19: Gendered Impacts Focus)

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