Impacts of Gender and COVID-19 on the Division of Labour

This study examines the gendered division of labour (paid and unpaid work) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Literature emerging during the pandemic, especially in early 2020, indicated a fear of the pandemic's potential negative impact on gender equality. Many feared a resurgence of the male-breadwinner family and what it might mean for women. I use quantitative data from the Labour Force Surveys of May 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022; the Impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians - Parenting during the pandemic, 2020 survey; and the Canadian Perspective Survey Series 3, 2020. I also use qualitative data from the subreddits r/Parenting, r/AmItheAsshole, and r/Relationship_advice. Results indicate that change related to the pandemic in 2020 was temporary. However, I find a large gap between the housework and childcare women and men do. The pandemic does not show permanent change to the gendered division of work.