ABSTRACT
This article proposes a three-fold typology to classify the narratives of forty-eight researchers in Catalonia describing the impact the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic had on their professional and personal lives: a "chance narrative," which presents the pandemic as an occasion for growth;a "resistance narrative," according to which the pandemic presents a burden, but one is skilled enough to navigate it successfully;and a "defeat narrative," for which the pandemic deeply shattered one's well-being. This analysis reveals that each narrative type is produced by researchers with certain sociodemographic features-defeat narratives were mostly produced by female researchers, holding precarious contracts, and assuming most of the increase of childcare and domestic work. These findings are consistent with studies revealing that the implementation of the "new fatherhood model" is limited and might orient the design of policies aimed at reducing gender discrimination in academia, both in Catalonia and beyond.
ABSTRACT
This article presents a study that documents how the changes provoked by the COVID-19 pandemic have widened the gen -der gap among university faculty members in Catalonia. The 32 inter-views conducted for the purposes of this study with university professors/ researchers in Catalonia (half men and half women) make evident that the pandemic has brought with it additional demands in terms of of domestic work and care for dependents, and that this new burden has been borne disproportionately by women. Women researchers' wellbeing and productivity have both suffered as a result, as during this period (May 2020-May 2021) many of them devoted additional time and concern to their homes and families, and they often experienced stress and anxiety. Meanwhile, some of their male peers, including some of those with small children, reported having been able to take advantage of the conditions of the pandemic to make progress in their research.