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Gender inequality in COVID-19 times: evidence from UK prolific participants

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  • Sonia OREFICCE

    (University of Exeter, Department of Economics & University of Chicago, Department of Economics)

  • Climent Quintana-Domeque

    (University of Exeter, Department of Economics & University of Chicago, Department of Economics)

Abstract

We investigate gender differences across multiple dimensions after 3 months of the first UK lockdown of March 2020, using an online sample of approximately 1,500 Prolific respondents’ residents in the UK. We find that women's mental health was worse than men along the four metrics we collected data on, that women were more concerned about getting and spreading the virus, and that women perceived the virus as more prevalent and lethal than men did. Women were also more likely to expect a new lockdown or virus outbreak by the end of 2020, and were more pessimistic about the contemporaneous and future state of the UK economy, as measured by their forecasted contemporaneous and future unemployment rates. We also show that between earlier in 2020 before the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic and June 2020, women had increased childcare and housework more than men. Neither the gender gaps in COVID-19-related health and economic concerns nor the gender gaps in the increase in hours of childcare and housework can be accounted for by a rich set of control variables. Instead, we find that the gender gap in mental health can be partially accounted for by the difference in COVID-19-related health concerns between men and women.

Suggested Citation

  • Sonia OREFICCE & Climent Quintana-Domeque, 2021. "Gender inequality in COVID-19 times: evidence from UK prolific participants," JODE - Journal of Demographic Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 87(2), pages 261-287, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:ctl:louvde:v:87:y:2021:i:2:p:261-287
    DOI: 10.1017/dem.2021.2
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    4. Lepinteur, Anthony & Clark, Andrew E. & Ferrer-i-Carbonell, Ada & Piper, Alan & Schröder, Carsten & D'Ambrosio, Conchita, 2022. "Gender, loneliness and happiness during COVID-19," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    5. Claudia Hupkau & Barbara Petrongolo, 2020. "Work, Care and Gender during the COVID‐19 Crisis," Fiscal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 41(3), pages 623-651, September.
    6. Foliano, Francesca & Tonei, Valentina & Sevilla, Almudena, 2022. "Social Restrictions and Well-Being: Disentangling the Mechanisms," IZA Discussion Papers 15734, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. David R. Agrawal & Aline Bütikofer, 2022. "Public finance in the era of the COVID-19 crisis," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 29(6), pages 1349-1372, December.
    8. Barili, E. & Bertoli, P. & Grembi, V. & Rattini, V., 2021. "COVID Angels Fighting Daily Demons? Mental Health of Healthcare Workers and Religion," Health, Econometrics and Data Group (HEDG) Working Papers 21/05, HEDG, c/o Department of Economics, University of York.
    9. Zuzanna Kowalik & Piotr Lewandowski, 2021. "The gender gap in aversion to COVID-19 exposure: Evidence from professional tennis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(3), pages 1-10, March.
    10. Karina Doorley & Cathal O’Donoghue & Denisa M. Sologon, 2022. "The Gender Gap in Income and the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ireland," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-23, July.
    11. Kim, Jun Hyung & Koh, Yu Kyung & Park, Jinseong, 2021. "Mental Health Consequences of Working from Home during the Pandemic," GLO Discussion Paper Series 960, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    12. Stefanie Stantcheva, 2022. "Inequalities in the Times of a Pandemic," NBER Working Papers 29657, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    13. Jordy Meekes & Wolter H. J. Hassink & Guyonne Kalb, 2020. "Essential work and emergency childcare: Identifying gender differences in COVID-19 effects on labour demand and supply," Melbourne Institute Working Paper Series wp2020n24, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne.
    14. Maite Blázquez & Ainhoa Herrarte & Ana I. Moro Egido, 2021. "Has the COVID-19 pandemic widened the gender gap in paid work hours in Spain?," ThE Papers 21/05, Department of Economic Theory and Economic History of the University of Granada..
    15. Doorley, Karina & Privalko, Ivan & Russell, Helen & Tuda, Dora, 2021. "The Gender Pay Gap in Ireland from Austerity through Recovery," IZA Discussion Papers 14441, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    16. Giulia Bettin & Isabella Giorgetti & Stefano Staffolani, 2022. "The Impact Of Covid-19 Lockdown On The Gender Gap In The Italian Labour Market," Working Papers 460, Universita' Politecnica delle Marche (I), Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche e Sociali.
    17. Alfonsi, Livia & Namubiru, Mary & Spaziani, Sara, 2022. "Gender Gaps: Back and Here to Stay? Evidence from Skilled Ugandan Workers during COVID-19," Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, Working Paper Series qt44s4b2dk, Institute of Industrial Relations, UC Berkeley.
    18. Anna Petherick & Rafael Goldszmidt & Eduardo B. Andrade & Rodrigo Furst & Thomas Hale & Annalena Pott & Andrew Wood, 2021. "A worldwide assessment of changes in adherence to COVID-19 protective behaviours and hypothesized pandemic fatigue," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 5(9), pages 1145-1160, September.
    19. Singh, Vikkram & Shirazi, Homayoun & Turetken, Jessica, 2022. "COVID-19 and gender disparities: Labour market outcomes," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(3), pages 206-217.
    20. Sonia Oreffice & Climent Quintana-Domeque, 2021. "COVID-19 Information, Demand and Willingness to Pay for Protective Gear in the UK," Studies in Microeconomics, , vol. 9(2), pages 180-195, December.
    21. Lindley, Joanne & Rienzo, Cinzia, 2021. "The Effect of Repeated Lockdowns during the Covid-19 Pandemic on UK Mental Health Outcomes," GLO Discussion Paper Series 977, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    22. Paudel, Jayash, 2021. "Home Alone: Implications of COVID-19 for Mental Health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 285(C).
    23. Monika Queisser, 2021. "COVID-19 and OECD Labour Markets: What Impact on Gender Gaps?," Intereconomics: Review of European Economic Policy, Springer;ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics;Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), vol. 56(5), pages 249-253, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Anxiety; Charity giving; Childcare; Concerns; Coronavirus; Employment; Housework; Inequity; Mental health; perceptions; sex; time allocation; Wellbeing;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • H1 - Public Economics - - Structure and Scope of Government
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination

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