Working women under huge stress in pandemic: LinkedIn

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic—with India now reporting the highest single-day spike in positive cases and deaths globally—is taking a toll on the emotional well-being of India's working women, says a report by LinkedIn, the world’s largest online professional network.

The tenth edition of the LinkedIn Workforce Confidence Index, which is based on the survey responses of 2,254 professionals in India between July 27 and August 23, reveal the pandemic’s impact on India’s working mothers and working women, and the cautious optimism of freelancers towards personal finances and career prospects.

Data from the survey showed that 47% of working women report “they are experiencing more stress or anxiety” due to the pandemic. For men, this number stood at 38%, “pointing towards a disproportionate impact on women in these testing times”, the report said.

Besides, 31% of working mothers are providing childcare full time as compared to 17% of working fathers. “Worryingly, more than 44% of working moms are working outside their business hours to provide childcare, nearly twice as many [as the] men (25%),” read the report. The survey also shows that only one in five (or 20%) working mothers rely on a family member or friend to take care of their children, when compared to 32% among working fathers.

“One factor is balancing office and domestic work—the bulk of the latter being shouldered by women. Studies reveal increased participation of men during the pandemic, but women still spend most time caring for children,” says Neha Bagaria, CEO, JobsForHer. The findings also show that more than 46% working mothers report working till late to make up for work, and 42% are unable to focus on work with their children at home.