Latin American female academic perceptions about the COVID pandemic’s impact on gender equity and within-country inequality

Purpose The pandemic caused by COVID-19 has brought us a serious economic, health and social problem worldwide crisis. In this context, there has been an increase in inequality between men and women throughout the world. In this situation of home confinement, uncertainty, stress and fear, women have been the most affected, regardless of their education level. The purpose of this study is to know the impact on the perception of academic women who suffered from a lack of gender equality (sustainable development) during the pandemic (SDG 5) and, therefore, the increase in the gender inequality gap (SDG 10) in Latin America (LA). Design/methodology/approach This qualitative, exploratory-descriptive study has a nonexperimental field and cross-sectional design that uses the field technique of focus groups. Findings This study revealed the deepest feelings of women researchers on this issue, leading to a deep reflection on the need to build the basis to transform unequal gender relations and introduce the gender perspective in a cross-sectional manner in a university context. Originality/value This study, analyzed from a gender perspective, aimed to unravel the complexity in which the majority of LA women academics live and to explain the gaps and differences in their lives caused by the inequalities that have increased due to the pandemic in Latin American societies.