The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly altered the lives of people worldwide in several ways. This article will focus on how the pandemic has exacerbated race, gender, and marriage humankind. Considering the long-standing gender inequality that has existed for a long time now, this paper is focused on finding out gender has been affected by the coronavirus disease pandemic. Furthermore, the paper will establish how the virus’s outbreak has impacted various ethnic groups.
Marriages are another aspect of humanity that has faced the brunt of the virus’s outbreak and spread. A study by Landivar et al. (2020) about the effect of the virus on gender and marriage in the US reveals that the pandemic has worsened gender inequality in employment. The study’s findings indicate more women, especially mothers, had to quit their jobs to become housewives.
Statistics given by the Current Population Survey report that most exits from the labor force represented women who had young children (Landivar et al., 2020). The reduction of work hours by firms also had a toll on working spouses. While most men among heterosexual working couples were affected, only couples who could telecommute were retained. Mothers report a higher reduction in work hours than fathers.
According to Lanvidar et al. (2020), women have been greatly affected. They have to undergo challenging situations such as increased domestic work since educational schools had been shut down, working in firms facing economic decline, and serving as forefront workers at risk of being infected with the virus. The article implies that the pandemic is inclined to worsen gender disparity since its impact on women, including mothers, will result in the following: lower career development decreased income, and higher independence on others.
Lavindar et al. (2020) indicate that the pandemic brought about a change of roles as men had to assume care work responsibility while working from home. However, it is reported that childcare was done in the shift to reduce the possibility of interrupting office work time. The study indicates that even when couples were able to telecommute and consider household commitments, mothers did this to a greater extent than fathers to perform their duties. Furthermore, the work hours have been reduced even among women who can telecommute.
It is reported that childcare was done in the shift to reduce the possibility of interrupting office work time. Lavindar et al. (2020) indicate that the pandemic brought about a change of roles as men had to assume childcare responsibility while working from home. These statistics indicate the great extent to which the virus’s outbreak has worsened gender inequality and couple marriages.
An article, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020), has reported that people from racial and ethnic minorities are at a higher risk of getting infected with the virus. The determinants include racial discrimination, access to healthcare, housing, occupation, and disparities in wealth, education, and pay. CDC says that these inequities have also increased the occurrence of other medical conditions that can expose a patient to COVID-19. Some ethnic groups and races may experience a shortage of wages, higher stress levels, and lack of access to essential services when local administration effect strategies to control the virus’s spread.
In conclusion, the article has examined how humanity’s characteristics, such as race, marriage, and gender, have been impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak and the subsequent spread. It found out that the pandemic has exacerbated gender inequality and resulted in the change of roles among married couples with children living at home. Furthermore, the spread of the virus had negative consequences on race. The pandemic worsened discrimination of people from varying races and ethnic groups worldwide.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Health Equity Considerations and Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups. Web.
Lavindar, L. C., Ruppanner, L, R., Scarborough, W., J., & Collins, C. (2020). Early Signs Indicate That COVID-19 Is Exacerbating Gender Inequality in the Labor Force. Sociological Research for a Dynamic World, 6, 1-3. Web.