ABSTRACT
Numerous reports have showcased the negative impacts of the pandemic on women in the workforce-especially those in STEM and with caregiving responsibilities-and the ways in which COVID-19 has further compounded the challenges they face. We developed a survey to investigate how these individuals have navigated the pandemic, asking them to compare their experiences before and during the pandemic as well as to prospectively consider a future as we begin to recover from the pandemic. We compare self-reported pandemic experiences of these NSF STEM professionals, contrasting by gender and caregiving status. Specifically, we address how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the professional and personal lives of STEM professionals and whether these effects emerge primarily as gender effects, primarily as caregiver effects, or at the intersection of gender and caregiving roles. Our results highlighted that women, non-binary individuals, and transgender men in STEM have been particularly vulnerable during the pandemic, since they tend to bear the heavier load of caregiving responsibilities. Compared to cismen and non-caregivers, they reported decreased productivity in and satisfaction with their job/work;reduced time spent on research/writing but increased time teaching;an increased toll of societal, political, and personal physical/mental health;and greater blurring of boundaries between work and personal life. To date, the story told about the impact of the pandemic has focused on the acute crisis of COVID-19 on the STEM workforce. It may be too early to tell what the abiding, long-term effects will be for STEM professionals. As we move forward, we must begin to focus on the long-range story of what we do to support individuals in the STEM professions, preventing an “epidemics loss” of caregivers and women, non-binary individuals, and transgender men. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2022.