Domestic burdens amid COVID-19 and women’s mental health in middle-income Africa

This article analyzes two longitudinal datasets (October – December 2020; April 2021) of 1,000 and 900 women in Kenya and Nigeria, respectively, alongside in-depth qualitative interviews with women at risk of changes to time use, to study two pandemic issues: women’s substitution of paid for unpaid...

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Main Authors: Mueller, Valerie, Grépin, Karen A., Rabbani, Atonu, Ngunjiri, Anne, Oyekunle, Amy, Wenham, Clare
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Informa UK Limited 2023
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140381
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author Mueller, Valerie
Grépin, Karen A.
Rabbani, Atonu
Ngunjiri, Anne
Oyekunle, Amy
Wenham, Clare
author_browse Grépin, Karen A.
Mueller, Valerie
Ngunjiri, Anne
Oyekunle, Amy
Rabbani, Atonu
Wenham, Clare
author_facet Mueller, Valerie
Grépin, Karen A.
Rabbani, Atonu
Ngunjiri, Anne
Oyekunle, Amy
Wenham, Clare
author_sort Mueller, Valerie
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description This article analyzes two longitudinal datasets (October – December 2020; April 2021) of 1,000 and 900 women in Kenya and Nigeria, respectively, alongside in-depth qualitative interviews with women at risk of changes to time use, to study two pandemic issues: women’s substitution of paid for unpaid work and how these shifts compromise their mental health. Women devote more time to domestic care (30–38 percent), less time to employment (29–46 percent), and become unemployed (12–17 percent). A rise in domestic work is correlated with depressive (Nigeria) and anxiety symptoms (Kenya and Nigeria). Women with greater agency (Kenya) and fewer children (Nigeria) are less likely to report a domestic burden or loss in paid activities. Social protection programs may fill the void of assistance traditionally provided by informal networks in the short term, while campaigns shifting norms around household work may preserve women’s economic participation in the long term.
format Journal Article
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language Inglés
publishDate 2023
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spelling CGSpace1403812025-10-26T13:01:48Z Domestic burdens amid COVID-19 and women’s mental health in middle-income Africa Mueller, Valerie Grépin, Karen A. Rabbani, Atonu Ngunjiri, Anne Oyekunle, Amy Wenham, Clare gender mental health coronavirus covid-19 coronavirinae coronavirus disease domestic work women This article analyzes two longitudinal datasets (October – December 2020; April 2021) of 1,000 and 900 women in Kenya and Nigeria, respectively, alongside in-depth qualitative interviews with women at risk of changes to time use, to study two pandemic issues: women’s substitution of paid for unpaid work and how these shifts compromise their mental health. Women devote more time to domestic care (30–38 percent), less time to employment (29–46 percent), and become unemployed (12–17 percent). A rise in domestic work is correlated with depressive (Nigeria) and anxiety symptoms (Kenya and Nigeria). Women with greater agency (Kenya) and fewer children (Nigeria) are less likely to report a domestic burden or loss in paid activities. Social protection programs may fill the void of assistance traditionally provided by informal networks in the short term, while campaigns shifting norms around household work may preserve women’s economic participation in the long term. 2023-04-03 2024-03-14T12:09:26Z 2024-03-14T12:09:26Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140381 en Open Access Informa UK Limited Mueller, Valerie; Grépin, Karen; Rabbani, Atonu; Ngunjiri, Anne; Oyekunle, Amy; and Wenham, Clare. 2023. Domestic burdens amid COVID-19 and women’s mental health in middle-income Africa. Feminist Economics 29(2). https://doi.org/10.1080/13545701.2023.2174566
spellingShingle gender
mental health
coronavirus
covid-19
coronavirinae
coronavirus disease
domestic work
women
Mueller, Valerie
Grépin, Karen A.
Rabbani, Atonu
Ngunjiri, Anne
Oyekunle, Amy
Wenham, Clare
Domestic burdens amid COVID-19 and women’s mental health in middle-income Africa
title Domestic burdens amid COVID-19 and women’s mental health in middle-income Africa
title_full Domestic burdens amid COVID-19 and women’s mental health in middle-income Africa
title_fullStr Domestic burdens amid COVID-19 and women’s mental health in middle-income Africa
title_full_unstemmed Domestic burdens amid COVID-19 and women’s mental health in middle-income Africa
title_short Domestic burdens amid COVID-19 and women’s mental health in middle-income Africa
title_sort domestic burdens amid covid 19 and women s mental health in middle income africa
topic gender
mental health
coronavirus
covid-19
coronavirinae
coronavirus disease
domestic work
women
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/140381
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