MyMedR

Displaying all 2 publications

Abstract:

Sort:

Fulltext The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on gender-related work from home in STEM fields-Report of the WiMPBME Task Group

Frize M, Lhotska L, Marcu LG, Stoeva M, Barabino G, Ibrahim F, et al.

Gend Work Organ, 2021 Apr 28.
PMID: 34230783 DOI: 10.1111/gwao.12690

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many people, including those in the fields of science and engineering, to work from home. The new working environment caused by the pandemic is assumed to have a different impact on the amount of work that women and men can do from home. Particularly, if the major burden of child and other types of care is still predominantly on the shoulders of women. As such, a survey was conducted to assess the main issues that biomedical engineers, medical physicists (academics and professionals), and other similar professionals have been facing when working from home during the pandemic. A survey was created and disseminated worldwide. It originated from a committee of International Union for Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine (IUPESM; Women in Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering Task Group) and supported by the Union. The ethics clearance was received from Carleton University. The survey was deployed on the Survey Monkey platform and the results were analyzed using IBM SPSS software. The analyses mainly consisted of frequency of the demographic parameters and the cross-tabulation of gender with all relevant variables describing the impact of work at home. A total of 921 responses from biomedical professions in 76 countries were received: 339 males, 573 females, and nine prefer-not-to-say/other. Regarding marital/partnership status, 85% of males were married or in partnership, and 15% were single, whereas 72% of females were married or in partnership, and 26% were single. More women were working from home during the pandemic (68%) versus 50% of men. More men had access to an office at home (68%) versus 64% for women. The proportion of men spending more than 3 h on child care and schooling per day was 12%, while for women it was 22%; for household duties, 8% of men spent more than 3 h; for women, this was 12.5%. It is interesting to note that 44% of men spent between 1 and 3 h per day on household duties, while for women, it was 55%. The high number of survey responses can be considered excellent. It is interesting to note that men participate in childcare and household duties in a relatively high percentage; although this corresponds to less hours daily than for women. It is far more than can be found 2 and 3 decades ago. This may reflect the situation in the developed countries only-as majority of responses (75%) was received from these countries. It is evident that the burden of childcare and household duties will have a negative impact on the careers of women if the burden is not more similar for both sexes. It is important to recognize that a change in policies of organizations that hire them may be required to provide accommodation and compensation to minimize the negative impact on the professional status and career of men and women who work in STEM fields.
A gender breakdown of unexpected benefits generated by work from home in STEM fields - A qualitative analysis of the WiMPBME Task Group survey

Bezak E, Sharrad KJ, Marcu LG, Stoeva M, Lhotska L, Barabino G, et al.

Phys Med, 2025 Jan 08;130:104897.
PMID: 39787677 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmp.2025.104897

BACKGROUND: Working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic was perceived differently by men and women working in STEM fields. The aim of this paper is to highlight the unexpected benefits generated by working from home during the pandemic.
METHODS: Qualitative methodology was used to analyze data, collected via survey. The survey designed and conducted by WiMPBME targeted both males and females working in medical-related STEM fields (physics and engineering) and was answered by 921 individuals from 76 countries across all continents. This report analysed the responses to one open-ended question of the survey, namely: "What is the one positive that you have learnt/experienced as a result of working from home during this pandemic?".
RESULTS: 594 responded to the question of interest. Access to home office was reported by 72.2% of survey participants. Males were more likely than females to report no positives of working from home (62.9%). Females were more likely to cite quality time, physical and mental health as positive factors than males, and to mention children in their responses. The most commonly coded thematic unit for males was remote working, with many males reporting the feasibility of working from home. Increased work productivity, better time management and work organisation were other common themes highlighted by responders irrespective of gender.
CONCLUSION: The findings of the survey show the diversity of perceptions about remote working in STEM fields, while highlighting the importance of considering family dynamics, individual circumstances as well as gender when evaluating varied experiences of STEM professionals.

Filters

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links