What is happening at your house now? Maybe you sat down to work while your husband went out to buy groceries with the children. When he returns, you will switch roles and you will already be playing with the children and at the same time preparing dinner (and yes, it is possible!), While he sits down at the computer for a couple of hours. Lunch, uncleaned rooms, household appliances included. How will COVID-19 affect families in Israel? There is only one thing we can be sure of - we women are facing a very stressful time.
Why exactly women? To understand this, let's start with a few facts. Long before we could assume that Corona was not just an American beer brand, there was already a clear gender division of responsibilities in every average Israeli home. Despite the fact that many Israeli men and women believe that they have a joint and equal household, the facts suggest the opposite - a study by the Ministry of Economy, conducted in 2012-2013. and who studied the division of household responsibilities in the family, showed that most of the work of caring for the family and the household falls on mothers. In only 5% of families, the father assumes primary responsibility for household chores, and in 22% there is an equal division of household chores. In other cases, most or all household chores fall on the shoulders of mothers and women.
Everyone knows that the problem of the difference in salaries of men and women, which is more than 30%, remains relevant for Israel. Employment rates also vary by gender, and while most women are employed, many are employed part-time - this figure represents nearly 30% of Israel's working women, as opposed to 12% of employed men. In the current state of emergency, it is obvious that any reasonable family will proceed from the following calculation: it is better if mom stays at home to look after children (even at the expense of work) so that dad can continue to earn money (from home, from the office, or in any other way)). Thus, the risk of being fired for women is much higher. We know how harsh and persistent living conditions during a state of emergency affected women in the 20th century.
As a result of two world wars, men had to go to the front, while women were forced to work. The need to go to work became very significant for raising the status of women in society and changing the perception of their social role - they were already not only mothers, nannies and maids, but also hardworking workers and excellent leaders. Reality prevailed over social prejudices - after all, women make up half of the population, and they can and should be part of the economy. However, the crisis caused by the spread of the coronavirus threatens to set aside our gains.
While the whole family is at home, childcare and household chores can be unevenly placed on the shoulders of women. Unlike the usual routine, now there will only be more household chores: you will have to cook more, wash more, wash more dishes, and so on. The stress of children against the background of current events can lead to emotional crises, which will also require the intervention of mothers.
This is a call to Israeli families, employers and the state. A fairer distribution of working time, even in a home-based environment (in a strange current state created by temporary quarantine), would benefit everyone and help fathers take on more daily chores around the house. Dear employers! The ability to work from home also implies the need for fathers to be more involved in household chores. The more you think about your employees and employees, the easier it will be for them to work, and they will be able to achieve maximum efficiency.
