Working Role of Women in a Pandemic World: A Poetic Inquiry

The sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected millions of people globally, and it has exacerbated the existing gender inequalities that have affected women. With the closure of schools, layoffs of workers, and the sudden change in work norms to online work at home, the burden of women’s work has increased significantly, and this has impaired further the advancement of their careers. In this study, four poetic inquiries were developed to investigate how the lives of working women were changed during the pandemic in Italy. In particular, the results suggest that the gender gap is increasing and is embodied 1) in a series of relational and economic problems related to remote work, 2) in difficulty in reconciling private and work life, and 3) in a series of new telematic violence against women. This study also offers practical implications for policymakers by suggesting the application of diversity management initiatives to remove barriers to gender equality.