The academic community in Lithuania did not miss out on the phenomenal impact of the quarantine on Lithuanian society. Vilnius University sociologists have analysed the survey of Baltijos Tyrimai and have made available a few major insights on vulnerabilities of society and different societal groups. According to the sociologists, the behaviour of the people during the quarantine could be determined by patriarchal views and stereotypes. The survey proposes that women are more likely to stay at home during the epidemic than men and, according to Vilnius University sociologists, this could be explained by several different approaches:
- Firstly, the perception towards self-care is different for the genders: men in general are more inclined to participate in activities that could be harmful for health whereas women assess health risks more responsibly.
- Moreover, as a result of gender roles in the family, women could be expected to stay at home and care after the children whereas men are seen as the providers for the family. This kind of behaviour could be seen in everyday life as well – most of the time the mother is the one to stay at home with a child when he or she feels unwell, say sociologists. This division can be closely related with the stereotypes, gender roles and different expectations for both men and women.
The survey showed that females, people over 50 years old, rural inhabitants and those with modest education are the most sensitive to the pandemic. These people are most likely to be stressed during this period. Experts say that this stress could be mostly determined by the fact that these people do not work in a stable workplace where there would be an opportunity for them to work from home.
These insights do shed some light on the struggles of modern society when the longstanding issues reveal themselves as still relevant. These issues could be addressed by the transport sector community, which is vastly underrepresented by females and which TInnGO project is all about. Social and professional security as well as reconciling work and life is crucial for a modern woman.
The text is based on the survey of Baltijos Tyrimai and the comments of sociologists of Vilnius University. The official article could be found here.
