A qualitative life course perspective on covid-lockdowns and couples? division of unpaid labour

Covid-19 lockdowns in many countries were characterised by increases in unpaid labour (e.g. home-schooling), as well as changing working conditions (e.g. remote work). Consequently, a large body of research assesses changes in dual earner couples' gender division of unpaid labour. However, despite the increasingly detailed picture of households' division of labour before and after the onset of the pandemic, it remains unclear how dual earner parents themselves perceive their decision-making regarding labour divisions during lockdowns. Conse-quently, using data from 31 individual in-depth interviews in Belgium, this study adopts a biographical -interpretative method to assess variation in narratives regarding the household division of labour before and during lockdown. Results indicate five ideal type narratives which vary in the extent to which lockdown divisions of unpaid labour exhibit path-dependency or constitute new gender dynamics, but also regarding the balance between individual agency and societal factors as determinants of labour divisions. Taken together, narratives discussing new gender dynamics during lockdowns put forward sector-specific changes in working hours and remote work as external and exogenous determinants. However, most importantly, findings indicate that household decision-making regarding unpaid labour during lockdowns is mostly perceived as path-dependent on pre-covid decision-making (e.g. gender specialisation) in the context of structural (e.g. gendered leave schemes) and normative boundaries (e.g. gendered parenting norms). Such path-dependencies in the decision-making underlying quantitatively identifiable divisions of unpaid labour during lockdowns are likely to be neglected in the absence of a qualitative life course perspective.

Paternal Leave Entitlement and Workplace Culture: A Key Challenge to Paternal Mental Health.

Paternal mental health continues to be a health concern in the UK. Paternal leave entitlement and workplace cultures have failed to support fathers in navigating the complexity of fatherhood, which has an impact on fathers' wellbeing. Interviewing twenty fathers in the York area, this study seeks to explore the impact of parental leave entitlements and workplace cultures on fathers' mental health. The findings demonstrate that the influence of gendered norms and hegemonic masculinity perceptions are ingrained in the current leave entitlement and workplace cultures. While fathers are entitled to take leave, the leave is significantly insufficient to allow them to forge a meaningful bond with a newborn or adapt to the change in routine brought about by the birth of a baby. Furthermore, workplace cultures fail to recognise the responsibilities that come with fatherhood and provide insufficient support for fathers. The COVID-19 lockdown presented fathers with a unique opportunity to be available and take on more family responsibilities. Fathers felt they did not have to navigate gendered and hegemonic perceptions to spend more time with the family. This paper challenges structural and cultural barriers that prevent fathers from taking leave and impacting negatively on fathers' mental health. The paper suggests a review of the current paternal leave entitlement and cultural change in the workplace.

Uncovering the Experience: Return to Work of Nurses After Parental Leave.

INTRODUCTION: To understand the experiences of emergency nurses who have returned to work after parental leave, specifically relating to the return to work transition, work-life balance, work engagement, and opportunities to continue human milk expression. METHODS: Nurses (N = 19) were recruited from 5 emergency departments within 1 hospital system in the United States Midwest. Nurses (n = 11) were eligible to participate in a one-on-one interview if they had returned from parental leave within 6 months of the interview date. Nurses (n = 8) were eligible to participate in a focus group if they had returned from parental leave within 2 years of the interview date. Interviews were structured and data collection concluded when researchers believed data saturation was reached. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke's qualitative thematic analysis 6-phase framework. RESULTS: Three major themes from the data were identified: (1) work engagement, (2) lactation, and (3) childcare. Work engagement was broken down into the subthemes: lack of communication, perceived engagement expectations, and actual engagement. Lactation was broken down into the subthemes: the act of pumping, lactation breaks, and lactation rooms. The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic impact on return-to-work is described under each major theme. DISCUSSION: Our findings provide insight into the unique challenges and experiences of nurses navigating parental leave and return-to-work in the emergency department. Strategies such as provision of managerial check-ins, return to work reorientation, lactation break coverage, enhanced supplementary lactation support, and leadership-provided accommodation may lighten the burden of these challenges and improve the returning nurse's job satisfaction.

Back from maternity

The article presents a survey revealed the increase in the number of mothers in employment, along with mentions that how Covid-19 pandemic has led to more flexible working hours, with the additional opportunity to work from home.

Exploring COVID-19 lockdowns as unexpected paternity leave: One shock, diverse gender ideologies

Objective: This paper analyses how men who became fathers to a newborn during a 2020 lockdown in France reacted to spending longer time at home than intended. Background: Previous research found that fathers taking longer leave are more involved at home, but men who plan these working arrangements are more oriented towards gender equality. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, fathers with diverse gender ideologies were forced to stay home with their baby. Method: 42 longitudinal interviews were conducted with 23 fathers, before and after the birth of their child. 10 of these fathers unexpectedly stopped their paid work for the first two months post-partum because of distancing measures. This group is compared with 10 others who took at most their 14 days of paid leave before returning to paid work and 3 others who deliberately planned to take a month off. All mothers were on maternity leave. Results: Lockdowns isolated couples from the help of extended family and fathers had to assume a caregiving position. However, staying home involved different things for different fathers. For some, it meant sharing unpaid work equally. For others, it was more about bonding with the baby, whereas intensive childcare was considered the mother's role. Conclusion: Drawing on an integrative approach, the findings suggest that changes at the institutional level, such as lockdowns, impact fathering trajectories differently depending on gender ideologies at the individual level.

Measures aimed at supporting families during the Covid-19 pandemic in Italy: A focus on disability and smart working

The article provides an overview of the main measures adopted by the Italian government to support families during the period of pandemic. The package of measures included the extension of the possibilities to take paid or unpaid parental leave, monetary allowances and incentives to use remote work, in primis smart working. Moreover, particular attention is paid to the issue of disability. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved) (Italian) L'articolo fornisce un'analisi della evoluzione delle principali misure adottate dal governo italiano per aiutare le famiglie durante il periodo della pandemia. Il pacchetto delle misure include l'estensione delle possibilita di usufruire dei congedi parentali pagati e non pagati, incentivi finanziari e possibilita di utilizzo del lavoro agile. Una particolare attenzione e riservata alle problematiche legate alla disabilita. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Supporting Breastfeeding in 2021 and Beyond-Lessons from the Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected maternal and infant health globally both directly from infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus and indirectly from changes in health care resulting from social, economic, and health care policies unique to each country. The developing countries have to share the disproportionate burden on maternal and infant health. In this review, we discuss the uncertainties resulting from SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy, vertical transmission of the virus, and its effects on breastfeeding of the newborn. The problems of families and communities caring for mothers with COVID-19 and its impact on breastfeeding in newborns are discussed. The challenges posed by the pandemic have forced us to think and devise innovative solutions, including telemedicine help for antenatal counseling, breastfeeding education, and lactation support. Optimal utilization of resources and technology to find creative solutions at the individual and the community level will help in facilitating maternal-infant bonding soon after birth. Appropriate health care policies to support pregnant and lactating mothers will go a long way in meeting healthy child development goals.