Aliya Rao explores how unemployment reinforces gender inegalitarian norms and behaviours when it comes to time, space and emotions. How might we tackle this seemingly backwards step?

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed rampant gender inequalities. The economic downturn we are facing has led to mass unemployment, which has had a disproportionate impact on women. Research from before and during the pandemic shows that women’s job loss and unemployment – more prevalent now than ever – is becoming yet another factor that pushes women out of the workforce, out of economic self-sufficiency, and toward unpaid work in the domestic realm.

Meet our speaker

Aliya Rao (@aliyahrao) is an Assistant Professor in Qualitative Research Methodology in the Department of Methodology and author of Crunch Time: How Married Couples Confront Unemployment. 

How can I watch the film?

Visit the Festival Hub or watch via the YouTube playlist.

More about this event

This event is part of the 'Festival Shorts' series. Festival Shorts are 10-minute talks by LSE experts released during Festival week, available to watch via the LSE Festival Hub.  

The LSE Festival: Shaping the Post-COVID World is running from Monday 1 to Saturday 6 March 2021, with a series of events exploring the direction the world could and should be taking after the crisis and how social science research can shape it.

Twitter hashtags for this event: #LSEFestival #LSECOVID19