The aim of this thesis is to examine the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on women in the UK. As a theoretical basis, I will first illustrate gender inequalities that already existed before the pandemic and divide them into the private and public sphere. Afterwards, the impact of the coronavirus crisis on women will be analysed by looking more closely at the effect on women in the workforce and the physical and mental implications. Next, I will introduce a survey that I conducted regarding women's representation in media coverage in the UK to present different perceptions regarding this matter. The paper continues by examining the distribution of men and women as experts on the pandemic. Finally, five coronavirus-related articles from the online tabloid DailyMail will be analysed to explore whether men are actually more likely to be used for objective statements and women for subjective opinions during the pandemic. My conclusion will summarise the above points and answer the question of this thesis: To what extent does the pandemic reinforce gender inequalities in Great Britain?
Just as any other country around the world, Great Britain was hit hard by the coronavirus crisis and is now suffering its consequences. At the present time, Great Britain has recorded around 166,000 deaths. The UK has implemented many measures to counteract the pandemic: in addition to the compulsory wearing of masks, this also involves the general shutdown of public life, the switch to online teaching, and the temporary closure of kindergartens. Besides the economic shock the country is suffering from, social disparities have become more visible.
There are many structural problems that the pandemic has clearly brought to light: Overwork and underpayment in the health sector, digitalisation that is progressing too slowly, and too little recognition of workers in social professions - these are just some examples. However, if you look at statistics, you quickly notice that in a lot of areas it is especially women, who have to suffer from the pandemic. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) of Great Britain "[w]omen were more likely to be furloughed, and to spend significantly less time working from home, and more time on unpaid household work and childcare".
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Gender inequalities in Great Britain
2.1 Gender inequalities in the private sphere
2.2 Gender inequalities in the public sphere
3. The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on women
3.1 The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on women in the workforce
3.2 The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on women’s physical and mental well-being
4. The male voice of the coronavirus pandemic
4.1 Survey
4.2 The lack of a female voices as experts during the pandemic
4.3 Analysis of coronavirus related articles in the Daily Mail
5. Conclusion
Objectives & Core Topics
This thesis investigates the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing gender inequalities in Great Britain. The research explores how structural disparities and traditional role expectations have negatively impacted women's workforce participation, mental well-being, and representation in media coverage.
- Pre-existing gender inequalities in private and public spheres
- Impact of the pandemic on women's employment and furlough rates
- Mental health implications and domestic abuse trends
- Gender bias in media representation, expert opinions, and journalism
Excerpt from the Book
2.1 Gender inequalities in the private sphere
The following section focusses on how gender ideology works to organise households and how traditional family structures came about. In order to provide a deeper insight into this topic, the book The Second Sex by the feminist and existentialist Simone de Beauvoir is consulted. First, however, I would like to briefly define what is meant by the term “private sphere” in this work: the private sphere concerns everything that takes place outside the public realm – mostly within one’s own four walls. Included here are primarily household chores and childcare.
Simone de Beauvoir published her book The Second Sex in 1949, which explores the question of how one becomes a woman. It further looks at the different upbringing of girls and boys, drawing conclusions about femininity and masculinity.
At the time of writing her book, women’s participation in public life was severely restricted. It was only a few years earlier, in 1944, that women were given the right to vote. Nevertheless, there was a clear division of roles between husband and wife. While the man of the household collected the money, the woman looked after the house and children at home. When women did work, it was mostly in female-specific occupations, such as sewing, or personal- and child care. Additionally, de Beauvoir elaborates on France’s “sexual morality” (de Beauvoir 1973, 148), which banned abortion, highly condemned adultery, and suppressed divorce (Ibid., 148). Under these circumstances “the family has become the elementary social cell” (Ibid., 147) for women.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Presents the research question regarding how the pandemic has amplified gender inequalities in Great Britain and outlines the study's scope.
2. Gender inequalities in Great Britain: Examines pre-pandemic structures of gender imbalance within the private household and the public workforce.
3. The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on women: Analyzes the specific hardships women faced during the pandemic, focusing on employment risks, mental health, and social well-being.
4. The male voice of the coronavirus pandemic: Investigates media gender representation through a survey and an analysis of press coverage, highlighting the dominance of male experts.
5. Conclusion: Synthesizes the findings, confirming that the pandemic has reinforced traditional role dynamics and gender disparities in the UK.
Keywords
Gender inequality, COVID-19 pandemic, Great Britain, female workforce, Simone de Beauvoir, gender pay gap, media representation, journalism, male dominance, mental health, domestic abuse, furlough, expert representation, Daily Mail, patriarchal system
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this thesis?
This work explores how the coronavirus pandemic has reinforced pre-existing gender inequalities within the UK, specifically analyzing the private and professional spheres.
What are the central thematic fields covered?
The research fields include gendered domestic roles, employment disparities, mental well-being during lockdowns, and gender bias in pandemic-related media coverage.
What is the core research question?
The paper asks: "To what extent does the pandemic reinforce gender inequalities in Great Britain?"
Which methodology does the author apply?
The author combines theoretical analysis using Simone de Beauvoir's works with empirical data, an original survey on media perception, and a qualitative media analysis of the Daily Mail.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The body chapters cover the history of gender inequality, the specific impacts of COVID-19 on women at work and in their mental health, evidence of male-dominated media expertise, and case studies of journalistic framing.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
The most important keywords include gender inequality, COVID-19, media representation, workforce participation, patriarchy, and domestic sphere.
How does the author characterize the role of the "Daily Mail" in this study?
The author uses the Daily Mail as a case study to demonstrate how mainstream media tends to frame men as objective experts, while women are often relegated to subjective, emotional, or secondary roles.
What does the survey in chapter 4 reveal about media consumption?
The survey specifically indicates that participants perceived media coverage of pandemic experts as largely male-dominated and that women’s voices were significantly less present in objective reporting.
How does the author connect Simone de Beauvoir to current events?
The author uses de Beauvoir's concepts to explain the persistent social expectation that women are the primary caregivers, which continues to shape roles in households and workforce distribution even decades later.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Anonym (Autor:in), 2022, Women in the Covid Crisis. To What Extent Does the Pandemic Reinforce Gender Inequalities in Great Britain?, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1515263
