ArticlePloS one2021
Gender differences in unpaid care work and psychological distress in the UK Covid-19 lockdown.
Article in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 109 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
109 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 284 citations in OpenAlex.
- The association of COVID-19 lockdowns with adverse birth and pregnancy outcomes in 28 high-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Nature human behaviour · 2025Pooled it
- An umbrella review of the prevalence of depression during the COVID-19 pandemic: Call to action for post-COVID-19 at the global level.BMC public health · 2024Pooled it
- Women's mental health and COVID-19: increased vulnerability and inequalities.Frontiers in global women's health · 2024Pooled it
- The UK Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and smoking, alcohol consumption and vaping during the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from eight longitudinal population surveys.BMC medicine · 2022Pooled it
- Can promoting compassion and gratitude through a four-week online training program improve women's mental health? A randomized controlled trial.BMC women's health · 2025Trial
- Self-criticism and dependency in adolescents with depression: Associations with clinical features and psychological functioning.The British journal of clinical psychology · 2026Article
- Depression Symptoms and Trauma Coping Self-Efficacy: A Longitudinal Examination of Couples During COVID-19 Pandemic.Journal of marital and family therapy · 2026Article
- Longitudinal associations between changes in employment status and depressive symptoms during the early COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA).Health promotion and chronic disease prevention in Canada : research, policy and practice · 2026Article
- Does the 'right to request' flexible work policy influence men's and women's uptake of flexible working and well-being: findings from the UK Household Longitudinal Study.Journal of epidemiology and community health · 2025Article
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program to Improve Well-Being and Health in Healthcare Professionals.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Gendered analysis of care work burden and mental health using data from the Gutenberg Covid-19 study.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Changes in Psychological Distress in Children With Physical Illness and Their Parents During the COVID-19 Pandemic.Child: care, health and development · 2025Article
- One-year ecological momentary assessment of alcohol use, mood, and stress among individuals with alcohol use disorder during SARS-CoV-2 pandemics: a gender-specific reflection.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2025Observational
- Relational conflicts during COVID-19: Impact of loss and reduction of employment due to prevention measures and the influence of sex and stress (in the iCARE study).Journal of health psychology · 2025Article
- Association between equivalized annual household income and regular medical visits for hypertensive patients since the COVID-19 outbreak.Hypertension research : official journal of the Japanese Society of Hypertension · 2025Article
- Social determinants of recovery from ongoing symptoms following COVID-19 in two UK longitudinal studies: a prospective cohort study.BMJ public health · 2025Article
- "The Source of All My Joy and All My Stress": Children and Childcare as Underappreciated Sources of Stress That Affect Farm Women.Journal of agromedicine · 2025Article
- The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Paternal Parenting Experience: A Scoping Review.Journal of family nursing · 2024Article
- More Adult Women than Men at High Cardiometabolic Risk Reported Worse Lifestyles and Self-Reported Health Status in the COVID-19 Lockdown.Nutrients · 2024Article
- Article
49 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo describe how men and women divided childcare and housework demands during the height of the first Covid-19 lockdown in the UK, and whether these divisions were associated with worsening mental health during the pandemic.
backgroundSchool closures and homeworking during the Covid-19 crisis have resulted in an immediate increase in unpaid care work, which draws new attention to gender inequality in divisions of unpaid care work.
methodsData come from the wave 9 (2017-19) of Understanding Society and the following April (n = 15,426) and May (n = 14,150) waves of Understanding Society Covid-19 study. Psychological distress was measured using the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) at both before and during the lockdown, and unpaid care work was measured during the lockdown. Linear regression models were used.
resultsWomen spent much more time on unpaid care work than men during lockdown, and it was more likely to be the mother than the father who reduced working hours or changed employment schedules due to increased time on childcare. Women who spent long hours on housework and childcare were more likely to report increased levels of psychological distress. Working parents who adapted their work patterns increased more psychological distress than those who did not. This association was much stronger if he or she was the only member in the household who adapted their work patterns, or if she was a lone mother. Fathers increased more psychological distress if they reduced work hours but she did not, compared to neither reducing work hours.
conclusionThere are continued gender inequalities in divisions of unpaid care work. Juggling home working with homeschooling and childcare as well as extra housework is likely to lead to poor mental health for people with families, particularly for lone mothers.
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