The pandemic has caused the loss, stress, and unemployment for people all over the world. However, women-mothers in particular-are experiencing the effects to a higher degree.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2.5 million women left the job market since the beginning of the pandemic-compared to 1.8 million men-as they take on more

“While women are generally perceived to be the more ‘nurturing’ sex and perhaps better suited to provide childcare and care for the home, this is largely related to entrenched cultural ideas about gender roles,” These perceptions have put undue pressure on women during the pandemic, leading to excess stress and the exacerbation of associated mental health conditions.

Women and Mental Health During COVID

CARE International conducted a report based on first-person accounts of more than 10,000 participants’ views of the challenges faced by women during COVID-19.

The study found that 27% of women reported an increase in challenges associated with mental illness, compared to only 10% of men. Women especially point to skyrocketing unpaid care burdens as a source of this stress, in addition to worries about livelihoods, food, and health care.

According to the study findings, women are also nearly twice as likely to report difficulty accessing quality health services.

Burden of Responsibility

“The extra toll on women's mental health makes sense given what we know about how many women have had to leave the workforce in order to care for children or other family members at home, or are dealing with an impossible and constant juggling act of kids, plus career, plus other responsibilities,” says Naomi Torres-Mackie, PhD, head of research at the Mental Health Coalition. With the build-up of responsibilities, like homeschooling or caring for sick relatives, she says it becomes harder for women to care for themselves, which in turn affects their mental health noting that multitasking leads to less efficiency and quality in each role, and takes time away from self-care. “Hence, mental health concerns among women, in particular, have been on the rise,” she says.

For women who are pregnant or new moms during the pandemic, isolation can be especially difficult.

“The perinatal time is one where moms-to-be and new moms most need care themselves, and it can be difficult to get that right now. Also, this period itself puts women at risk for mental health conditions (e.g., major depressive disorder with peripartum onset), so that combined with pandemic-related stress is a difficult combination to manage,” she says.

For those struggling with anxiety, depression, substance use or other mental illnesses, Kennedy says you are not alone.

“Help is available, and part of rebuilding a sense of balance is taking even a little sliver of time to care for oneself during an unprecedented experience of social isolation, prolonged strain, and possible grief,” 

Ongoing Inequality of the Sexes

A Pew Research Center study from 2017, suggested that 53% of American adults say that society places more value on contributions men make at work versus at home. Only 5% said that society values contributions men make at home more than at work, and 41% said that equal value is placed on men's contributions in both contexts.

Women Take on the Task of Vaccine Appointments

In addition to responsibilities related to children, now that COVID-19 vaccines are available, many women are taking charge of getting vaccine appointments for their parents. And while being tasked with caring for others is always difficult,  it is especially challenging during high-stress situations like the pandemic. “Holding the responsibility for finding vaccine appointments for parents and other family members is a major responsibility. As women are often to blame themselves when something goes wrong, the self-blame around not being able to find vaccines for family members can be really difficult,”. The logistics of getting vaccine appointments scheduled adds additional stress. “Experiencing the frustrations of getting on waitlists or watching their parents' disappointment when they do not receive a call to get the vaccine and navigating hoops to jump through can be infuriating and scary, Women are feeling the pressure of responsibility for their parents' health-both physical and mental."