Lived experiences of women academics during the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan

Rabia Ali; Hazir Ullah

doi:10.1016/j.ajss.2021.03.003

Lived experiences of women academics during the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan

Asian J Soc Sci. 2021 Sep;49(3):145-152. doi: 10.1016/j.ajss.2021.03.003. Epub 2021 Jun 19.

Authors

Rabia Ali¹, Hazir Ullah²

Affiliations

¹ Assistant Professor Sociology, International Islamic University, Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan.
² Associate Professor Sociology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, 44000, Pakistan.

Abstract

This study explores the experiences of women academics while combining the challenging job of online teaching and familial responsibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan. The aim is to outline the disproportionate effects of COVID-19 on women academics. We employed a qualitative research design and collected data through in-depth qualitative telephonic interviews with thirteen women academics in four public sector universities in Pakistan. The findings show that women academics remained overwhelmed by the workload; lacked support; and endured a tiring struggle to manage their official duties and familial responsibilities. They were stressed and stuck in their children and family care and online teaching and had hardly any time for academic writing. The participants expressed being burned out, depressed, exhausted, angry, and in desperate need of personal time. Since women experienced the lockdown differently than men we suggest that they may be compensated at the time of tenure/promotions.

Keywords: Academic publishing; COVID-19; Remote learning; Women academics; Work-life balance.