Abstract Panel


Authors Information
SequenceTypeName TitleFirst NameLast NameDepartmentInstitute / Affiliation
1 Author Mrs. Swati Sourav Centre for the Study of Social Systems Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
Abstract Information
TrackID
:
IUAES23_ABS_A5689
Abstract Theme
:
P087 - Women and Work: Psychosocial Distress with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic
Abstract Title
:
Identity Crisis and Work-Life Balance: Distress and Anxiety of Working Women associated with COVID-19 Pandemic
Short Abstract
:
Focus of the paper is to understand identity crisis issues that working women have been facing while fulfilling challenges of work-life balance causing psycho-social distress and anxiety with the advent of COVID-19 Pandemic. The working women had to take on social expected roles of care givers of the children, elders of the family as well as other relatives in pandemic. Some of them also had to underwent domestic abuse and psychological abuse by other members of family along with husband. Questioning their own stands, positions and identity in the family they have been suffering with various distress and anxiety. This paper has tried to understand this traumatic experience of working women.
Long Abstract
:

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) began in December 2019 in Wuhan, China and quickly spread worldwide. It is a contagious viral disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It was just a matter of time when it became a worldwide anthropogenic disaster disrupting daily normal lives of people. Facing many adversities, people from all intersections are still learning to handle the pandemic and each and everyone had to adapt his/her daily lives to respond to it. This global pandemic has changes every aspect of people’s lives including the way one works.  This has struck hard those women whole had to handle both paid and unpaid work at the same time. By paid work, I mean working life in various sectors involving salary. By unpaid work, I mean traditionally expected social roles concerning care giving responsibilities without being paid. These working women have been facing many challenges balancing their work-life arrangements. They are also facing domestic abuse with shrinking space because of lockdowns and shutdowns. Because of their chaotic life and so-called new normal spaces, that has nothing normal for them, have made them question their own positions and identities. This paper focuses on this issue of identity crises faced by working women followed by distress and anxiety with the advent of COVID-19 Pandemic. Cases of four women working in higher educational institutions and other service sector have been taken for this study.  Both primary and secondary data sources have been used. I have tried to employ Erikson’s theory of ‘identity crisis' and Judith Butler's ‘the standpoint theory' and ‘the theory of performative  action' to grasp the identity crisis, work-life balance and gender roles in spaces created by new normal state of society.

Abstract Keywords
:
Work, Women, Identity Crisis, Work -life Balance, COVID-19