Among the many issues raised by the ongoing pandemic, the lockdown has helped to remind us of the prevalence of rigid gender roles around the world. Women in particular are facing unique challenges; from front-line workers, to caregivers, to their children’s teachers, women are bearing the brunt on many fronts.

In almost all societies, women have traditionally taken up the caring responsibilities of the household. Staying at home has had various implications – for some it’s been a blessing in disguise, for others a great burden – but perhaps the main one is how it has once again pushed forward the discussion of gender roles.

As a society, we are presented with an opportunity to rethink the way we live, our work-life balance, and the gender dynamics at home.

In many traditional societies, it is often expected that the man goes out to work while his wife takes care of the children. But the pandemic has blurred gender roles in many households; parents that now work from home in solidarity with social distancing interact in a shared space with their counterpart and their children.

According to UN Women, it is estimated that around 49 percent of the world’s working age women are in the labour force, compared to over 75 percent of working age men. It can be predicted that this gap will inevitably come to a close sooner or later. Women in many societies face a double burden: working and child-rearing.

With almost all schools promoting distance-learning, there comes a great responsibility on the child’s guardian to ensure their child is engaged in this new setting. Now, whether consciously or unconsciously, many households assume the position that it is the mother’s responsibility to educate her children. Fortunately, though, men are realising the importance and necessity of partnership in the household.

UAE taking the lead

The UAE has proved itself to be an advocate for women’s rights and the promotion of women’s equal status to men both at home and work. This is demonstrated with UAE’s recent equal gender pay legislation, equal representation at the Federal National Council, and the recently announced paternal leave law for the UAE private sector.

The UAE has earned its recognition and credibility for being an example of closing the gender gap in the region. This has translated into homes. As more and more women enter the workforce, we are also seeing more men take on responsibilities at home that were traditionally seen as female roles.

The promotion of gender equality is front and center in the UAE, not just in the workplace.

As we opt to stay at home to limit exposure to the coronavirus, we are realising that household responsibilities are not gender-specific. Every member of the family can share in the effort.

Cooking and cleaning are no longer viewed as a “woman’s job”, and the same is seen with work. Women are now major contributors to household incomes, and it is only natural that male counterparts share in other responsibilities, too.

Lockdown has nudged society in what could be described as an experiment with men discovering housework. It is too early to tell whether this moment of rethinking household dynamics will last after the pandemic.

A permanent shift?

We hope that the blurring of boundaries between gender roles is not situational. During the Second World War (WW2) when men went to war, women went to work. Initially, this was because women needed to fill the necessary roles of being nurses or working in factories to build munitions.

After war time, women realised that they can do more than their household roles.

Similarly in this pandemic, men are realising that they can and are willing to do more than “work”. Men are slowly but surely taking more active roles around the house. With WW2 women went to work, with coronavirus, men help at home.

Yet around the world, not everyone has the choice to be at home, and women are exceptionally vulnerable in times of crises. More women than men are employed in informal occupations such as caregivers who are prone to economic disruption that affects their social and financial stability.

Also, social norms expect women to be the caregivers and hence women and girls are likely to be exposed to the virus.Coronavirus has shed light on the different experiences that men and women face both during and after a crisis, reminding us that women are especially vulnerable.

A key takeaway from this pandemic is the necessity and practicality of a feminist framework. A framework that puts front and centre the vulnerable demographics of society, and the need to build a system that protects them and even more so in difficult circumstances.

We hope that with the post-coronavirus era comes a new way of thinking about how we work and live in a way that is productive, fulfilling and out of choice.

The coronavirus has helped reopen our eyes to society’s gender roles. Evolving socially constructed norms is moving away from the binary perspective that men are the breadwinners and women are responsible for the “care”.

As both work and schooling are now mostly remote, the shared space at home and flexible schedules allow for parents to be more engaged as partners with household responsibilities such as childcare, cooking, cleaning and even playtime.

A change of dynamics in caregiving and the workplace could nudge society away from gendered labels and into a permanent change of mentality.