The Impact of COVID-19 on Working Women with Caring Responsibilities: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis

Working women forced to quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown often faced additional unpaid care responsibilities, requiring a “second or even third shift”, such as educating their children in addition caring for them while working. The purpose of this study was gain deeper understanding experiences sample working with responsibilities order derive recommendations post-COVID structures and arrangements. explored unique four from United States, Latin America, Africa, across range personal organizational contexts. employed Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) understand interpret lived meaning-making these lockdown. IPA supplemented by visual data gathering techniques “a special object” “the River Experience” give voice participants’ more metaphoric thinking. concluded that reflected superordinate themes of: (1) deep sense loss normal”; (2) psychological reboot seeing world new eyes; (3) emerging women’s community connection; (4) redefining work women. Each theme supported several subthemes. Recognizing 9-to-5 has been remodeled certain extent, participants recommended flexible arrangements support human needs employers society essential elements postpandemic workplace.