Gender, Race and Parenthood Impact Academic Productivity During the COVID-19 Pandemic: From Survey to Action

Frontiers in Psychology

Fernanda P. Werneck¹  Leticia de Oliveira²  Eugenia Zandonà³  Ida V. D. Schwartz⁴  Fernanda Staniscuaski⁵  Livia Kmetzsch⁶  Charley C. Staats⁶  Adriana Seixas⁷  Zelia M. C. Ludwig⁸  Alessandra S. K. Tamajusuku⁹  Pamela B. Mello-Carpes⁹  Eliade F. Lima⁹  Felipe K. Ricachenevsky^1,10  Camila Infanger^1,11  Adriana Neumann^1,12  Rossana C. Soletti^1,13  Fernanda Reichert^1,14 

[1] Biodiversity Coordination, National Institute of Amazonian Research, Manaus, Brazil;Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Brazil;Department of Ecology, Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;Department of Genetic, Institute of Biosciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil;Medical Genetics Service, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil;Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Biosciences Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil;Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Biosciences Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil;Graduate Program in Cell and Molecular Biology, Biotechnology Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil;Department of Pharmacoscience, Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil;Department of Physics, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Brazil;Federal University of Pampa, Uruguaiana, Brazil;Graduate Program in Cell and Molecular Biology, Biotechnology Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil;Department of Botany, Institute of Biosciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil;Graduate Program in Management, Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing, São Paulo, Brazil;Institute of Mathematics and Statistics, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil;Interdisciplinary Department, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Tramandaí, Brazil;Management School, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil;

关键词: motherhood and academia;    women career;    gender gap;    racial bias;    gender equity;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2021.663252

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is altering dynamics in academia, and people juggling remote work and domestic demands – including childcare – have felt impacts on their productivity. Female authors have faced a decrease in paper submission rates since the beginning of the pandemic period. The reasons for this decline in women’s productivity need to be further investigated. Here, we analyzed the influence of gender, parenthood and race on academic productivity during the pandemic period based on a survey answered by 3,345 Brazilian academics from various knowledge areas and research institutions. Productivity was assessed by the ability to submit papers as planned and to meet deadlines during the initial period of social isolation in Brazil. The findings revealed that male academics – especially those without children – are the least affected group, whereas Black women and mothers are the most impacted groups. These impacts are likely a consequence of the well-known unequal division of domestic labor between men and women, which has been exacerbated during the pandemic. Additionally, our results highlight that racism strongly persists in academia, especially against Black women. The pandemic will have long-term effects on the career progression of the most affected groups. The results presented here are crucial for the development of actions and policies that aim to avoid further deepening the gender gap in academia.

【 授权许可】

CC BY