Women, work and COVID-19

Kully Kaur-Ballagan
Head of Diversity and Inclusion Research, Ipsos MORI
Jordana Moser
Business Specialist, Ipsos MORI
Jane Merrick
Policy Editor, i newspaper
Kelly Beaver
MD Public Affairs, Ipsos MORI
Speakers
Chair
22

© Ipsos | Women, Childcare and COVID | October 2020 | Version 1 | Confidential3
Throughout the
pandemic,
women have
found life harder

© Ipsos | Women, Work and COVID-19 | October 2020 |
Version 1 | Confidential
45% 48% 47% 44% 44%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Mar-2020 Apr-2020 May-2020 Jun-2020 Jul-2020 Aug-2020 Sep-2020
4
Women have
consistently
found it harder
to stay
positive day-
to-day
At the moment, are you finding
each of the following easier,
harder, or about the same
compared with before the
coronavirus outbreak?
Staying positive day-to-day
UK ‘lockdown’
introduced
% Finding it harder to stay positive day-to-day
Women Men
UK ‘lockdown’
eased – pubs, shops reopen
Base: c. 1,000 British adults online aged 18-75, Ipsos MORI coronavirus Polling, March-September 2020
65% 63% 61%
55% 56%
20pt 14pt
11pt
15pt
12pt

51% 54% 54%
49% 53%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Mar-2020 Apr-2020 May-2020 Jun-2020 Jul-2020 Aug-2020 Sep-2020
5
And to stay
positive about
the future
At the moment, are you finding
each of the following easier,
harder, or about the same
compared with before the
coronavirus outbreak? Staying
positive about the future
UK ‘lockdown’
introduced
UK ‘lockdown’
eased – pubs, shops reopen
% Finding it harder to say positive about the future
72%
61% 63%
59%
65%
9pt
10pt
21pt
7pt 12pt
Women Men
Base: c. 1,000 British adults online aged 18-75, Ipsos MORI coronavirus Polling, March-September 2020

5
6
8
6
31%
36%
37%
38%
36%
42%
43%
46%
Being able to work*
Staying fit and
healthy
Keeping entertained
Women are
more likely to
be finding life
harder across
a range
of measures
At the moment, are you
finding each of the
following easier, harder, or
about the same compared
with before the coronavirus
outbreak?
Being able to afford your
usual expenses
6
Women
Gap
Men
Base: 2,152 Online British adults 18-75, 22-24 July 2020, including women (1,083), men (1,064)
*all those currently in work (1,434).
Source: 2020
6
% Harder

© Ipsos | Women, Childcare and COVID | October 2020 | Version 1 | Confidential7
Women are more
pessimistic
about the impact
of COVID-19

7
6
5
7
5
8
Women are more
pessimistic about
the ongoing impact
of COVID-19
(although men
more worried
about their
relationships)
Do you think that the
coronavirus crisis including
the lockdown period will
have a positive or negative
impact on each of the
following for you personally
over the next 12 months or
will it make no difference?
Women
Gap
Men
% Negative impact
Base: 2,152 Online British adults 18-75, 22-24 July 2020, including women (1,083), men (1,064),
**all not in a relationship men (447), women (487), *all in work (684), women (747)
Source: Ipsos MORI
Your ability to do things that
make you feel fulfilled
30%
19%
27%
35%
35%
25%
26%
32%
41%
42%
Your romantic relationships
Your work-life balance
Whether or not you are in work
Your mental health
*
*
**

Version 1 | Confidential9
And working
mums are
significantly
more concerned
about their
mental health
than working
dads
Do you think that the coronavirus
crisis including the lockdown
period will have a positive or
negative impact on each of the
following for you personally over
the next 12 months or will it make
no difference?
Among mums
currently working
Among dads
currently working
28%
44%
16
% Negative impact on your mental health
Gap
Base: 2,152 Online British adults 18-75, 22-24 July 2020, including female parent/guardian
currently in work (258) and male parent/guardian currently in work (190).
Source: Ipsos MORI

But half of parents
think that the crisis
will have a positive
impact on their
relationship with
their children
Do you think that the
coronavirus crisis including
the lockdown period will
have a positive or negative
impact on each of the
following for you personally
over the next 12 months or
will it make no difference?
% Positive impact on your relationship with your children
48%
47%Among mums
Among dads
Source: Ipsos MORI

Women say they
have been
shouldering more
of the childcare

18%
38%
50%
36%
12%
5%
Among women
Among men
Three in ten think women have been taking on more
childcare than men, but four in ten think it’s been shared
Which of the following statements, if any, best describes your view about how childcare
responsibilities are being shared during the lockdown period by parents in Britain overall?
Among all
28% 43% 9%
12
Base : 2,152 Online British adults 18-75, 22-24 July 2020, including women (1,083), men (1,064).
None of these/DK
Women are taking on more of the
childcare responsibilities
Both women + men are sharing
Men are taking on more of the

23%
49%
43%
20%
25%
12%
Among mothers
Among fathers
23%
47%
45%
24%
26%
13%
Among working mothers
Among working fathers
Half of mums say they’ve taken on more childcare
responsibilities than their partners, compared to around a
quarter of dads
Which of the following statements, if any, best describes your view about how childcare
responsibilities are being shared during the lockdown period for you personally?
I am taking on more of the childcare
responsibilities for my child(ren)
I am sharing childcare responsibilities roughly equally
with my partner/other carer/guardian
My partner/other parent/guardian is taking
on more of the childcare responsibilities
None of these/DK
13
Base: 580 Online British adults who are parents or legal guardians aged 18-75, 22-24 July 2020, including mothers (357), fathers (222), working mothers (258), working fathers (190).

11
43%
32%
14
But working dads
are more likely to
say caring
responsibilities are
negatively
impacting their
ability to do their
paid job
And to what extent, if at all,
are your caring or domestic
responsibilities having a
negative impact on your
ability to do your paid job?
% A great deal/fair amount
Working mums
Working dads
Source: Ipsos MORI/Kings College London online survey of 2,254 adults aged 16-75yrs, 20-22 May 2020

Since COVID-19
there’s been a drop in
those saying
childcare + family
responsibilities are
more likely to damage
a woman’s career than
a man’s – although
still high
Please say whether you think each
of the following is more likely to
damage the career of a woman who
does this, more likely to damage
the career of a man who does this,
whether they are equally likely to
damage the career of men and
women who do this or that it will
not damage the career of men or
women who do this.
More likely to
damage the
career of a man
More likely to
damage the
career of a woman
Equally likely
to damage the
career of both
Don’t know
Wouldn’t
damage the
career of either
21%
27%
29%
36%
36%
47%
29%
27%
40%
36%
31%
27%
29%
27%
14%
13%
15%
10%
11%
12%
8%
9%
9%
9%
10%
8%
10%
7%
10%
7%
Having childcare responsibilities during the working day
Working part-time
Prioritising your family over work
Feb 2020
July 2020
Feb 2020
July 2020
Feb 2020
July 2020
Base: 2,152 Online British adults 18-75, 22-24 July 2020. Source: Ipsos MORI

Attitudes are
increasingly
unanimous in
support for stay-at-
home dads – and
this has increased
since 2019
Below is a list of
statements. For each,
please indicate whether
you strongly disagree,
somewhat disagree,
somewhat agree, or
strongly agree.
A man who stays home to look after his children is less of a man
Agree Disagree
12%
14%
6%
12%
9%
13%
86%
78%
94%
85%
90%
81%
Among all
Among women
Among men
Jan 2019
July 2020
Base: 2,152 Online British adults 18-75, 22-24 July 2020. Source: Ipsos MORI
Jan 2019
July 2020
Jan 2019
July 2020

10
18
But women are
more sceptical that
the pandemic will
lead to new ways
of working
When your workplace is
fully open again, do you
expect your working
patterns to change in any of
these ways or not?
% My working patterns will not change
39%
49%Women
Men
Source: Ipsos MORI/Kings College London online survey of 2,254 adults aged 16-75yrs, 20-22 May 2020

© Ipsos | Women, Work and COVID-19 | October 2020 | Version 1 | Confidential19
But there are
signs that the
crisis will
exacerbate
gender inequality

“Though we’re all in this together,
we’re not all in the same boat.”
Roberts, McCluney, Thomas, and Kim, 2020,
Harvard Business Review

8
3
5
22
Less
opportunity for
women to work
as a result of
the crisis
A third more women than
men have had their
workplace closed, while four
times as many women have
stopped work to fulfil
childcare needs.
The difficulties faced are
particularly pronounced
among BAME women.
25%
33%
1%
4%
% No longer working because
of childcare needs
% My workplace has been closed
due to concerns about COVID-19
% Struggling to feed
children
24%
19%
BAME
mothers
White
mothers
Women
Men
Source: Ipsos MORI
Gap
Base: 800 Online British adults currently employed 18-75, 28 April – 5 May 2020
Base: 800 Online British adults currently employed 18-75, 28 April – 5 May 2020
Source: Ipsos MORI
Base: 3,280 Online British adults, 15 April – 21 May 2020
Source: The Fawcett Society

8
616%
22%
30%
38%
23
Women more
than men feel
their work-life
balance has
gotten worse
since, and that
they are under
pressure to
prove they’re
working
Work-life balance is deteriorating
% Agree
Women
Men
Women
Men
Gap
Base: 800 Online British adults currently employed 18-75, 28 April – 5 May 2020. Source: Ipsos MORI
Base: 1394 adults aged 18-75 in Great Britain who were working before lockdown and have not lost their job during lockdown. 12th-16th August .
When I am working at home I feel pressure to prove that I am working

Now, comparing your recent experiences working at home and your previous place of work,
please say for each of the following whether working at home or your previous place of work
is better.
37% 29% 30%My overall job satisfaction
24
Men report higher satisfaction with WFH than do women – with
women saying their motivation/commitment was higher while
working from the office.
Source: Ipsos MORI
Much/a little better at home Much/a little better at workNot much difference
Base: 386 adults aged 18-75 in Great Britain who are currently working from home and previously worked elsewhere. 12th-16th August .
Women 31% 31% 33%
Men 41% 28% 28%
27% 40% 28% 3%My motivation and commitment to the job
Women 23% 38% 35%
Men 30% 43% 22%

2
76 77 77 8081 83 81 82
I would recommend
my company as a good
employer
I’m proud to
work for my
company
I have confidence
in decisions made
by senior management
My company
is behaving in
an exemplary manner
5
25
However, women are generally just as positive and proud
of their employer as men are…
% Agree
Men Women Gap
6 4
Base: 800 Online British adults currently employed 18-75, 28 April – 5 May 2020. Source: Ipsos MORI

Business and
government will
need to do more to
support women

29%
32%
42%
44%
33%
15%
13%
17%
27
British parents feel well supported by education providers
and their employers but less so by the Government
During the coronavirus crisis, how would you rate the support parents, carers and guardians
have been given to help them with childcare by…
Very/fairly good Fairly/very poor
Among all Among all parents*
32%
38%
50%
53%
35%
20%
17%
18%
Education providers such
as schools and nurseries
The Government
Your employer**
Employers overall
Neither /DK
Base: 2,152 Online British adults 18-75, 22-24 July 2020, including *parent/guardian of someone aged 17 or under (580) and **all those working (1,298) and working parents (413).

68%of Captains of
Industry still say
employers see
women as the
primary caregiver
of children
44%
More women
without children are
losing motivation at
work, compared to
women with
children.

40
41
34
48
18
4
6
7
2
Strongly Agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree
29
Nine in 10 Captains of Industry agree that employers should
make it easier for men to combine childcare with work
To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?
Base: British Captains of Industry (98); Interviewed Feb – July 2020
Employers should make it
easier for men to combine
childcare with work
Women won’t achieve equality
with men unless there are
more female leaders in
business and government
89%
74%

Half expect employer flexibility in the future with home
working and almost three-quarters agree it is a good thing
for employers to rethink working practices
How strongly do you agree or disagree with each of the following statement?
30
72%
50%
46%
18%
21%
26%
7%
23%
23%
Agree Neither agree nor disagree Don’t know Disagree
It will be a good thing if the
pandemic forces employers
to rethink working practices
(n=1446)
I expect my employer to be
more flexible in the future
about working from home
(n=1269)
Flexibility about working from
home will be an important factor
for me in deciding what jobs I
apply for in the future (n=1446)
Source: Ipsos MORI
Base: 1446 / 1269 adults aged 18-75 in Great Britain who employed before the lockdown / employed before lockdown and not self employed. 12th-16th August .

There is a danger that COVID-19 is exacerbating gender
inequalities but this could be a moment to reset….
1
Clear signs that women
are bearing the mental
and practical brunt of
the pandemic
2
Immediate need for
government to provide
a safety net (income
and childcare) for
women whose jobs are
affected
3
For business short term
– are they monitoring
gender impact of
working from home?
Beyond this – genuinely
flexible working
practices will be key
31

Thank you

Jane Merrick

Women, work and COVID-19

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