Gender-based impact of COVID-19 on graduates working in the public service

Abstract

This study examines the practical realities of how and whether working from home (WFH) policies during the Covid crisis equally affected male and female employees in the Maltese Public Service. The research was carried out using a mixed methods approach to data collection and analysis. Online questionnaires were designed to collect primary data from graduate public officers with children. In-depth interviews were held with senior Ministry officers to collect their experiential commentary on the Covid policies that were mandated for the public service. Secondary research data was collected through in-depth analysis of existing literature. This study revealed that for all households with two working parents, finding the time required to effectively manage both paid work and family demands was a constant challenge. Demand for care work intensified this challenge - particularly when schools were closed. Time demands were especially distressing for mothers who aspired to maintain their careers in the public service. Still, in the face of these new pressures, a material percentage of male partners stepped up to assure a more equitable distribution of the WFH burdens, thereby narrowing the gap in parental childcare duties that naturally exists in dual earner households. In spite of the stresses, however, the majority of respondents favoured a continuance of the WFH policy because of the flexibility that it bestowed upon both male and female employees.