Exploring the Gendered Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Academic Staff in Tanzania

Abstract

Abstract:The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic marked a serious interruption in all sectors and on all communities. Like other spaces, university life was severely disrupted. The core activities of academics in areas of teaching, research, service, and consultancy were interrupted with lockdowns requiring academics to work-from-home for extended periods. International evidence quickly began to emerge of the differential gendered experiences of these disruptions. This paper explores the gendered effects of COVID-19 public health policies on academic staff in Tanzania. Utilizing a feminist relational approach, it provides insights into the lived experiences of academic staff around two themes: 1) caring and coping during the COVID crises; and 2) work-life balance. It shares insights from data collected through qualitative methods of interview and discourse analysis. The findings reveal distinct gendered differences in the experiences of staff, with female staff reporting a significant increase in caring responsibilities and decreased time available for research and academic engagement. Pre-existing gender norms and expectations concerning the gendered division of labor in households emerged as a distinctly gendered challenge. As government public health policies pushed responsibilities for care and education back onto households, many female academics experienced significant increases in time required for family and community care, thus affecting their ability to balance their personal and professional roles. Implications of these findings are relevant for the development of gender sensitive and appropriate policy revisions and future public health measures that may arise.