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COVID-19 impact on female academics in higher education
Author: Daniel Bugan
Published: 05/08/2021

​A research paper by Stellenbosch University (SU) academics Prof Pregala (Solosh) Pillay and Ms Priscalia Khosa that examines the impact of COVID-19 on female academics in the higher education (HE) sector recently received immense recognition at the 4th International Conference on Gender Research (ICGR).

The 4th ICGR, hosted by the University of Aveiro in Portugal in June 2021, offered opportunities for academics, practitioners and consultants researching gender in various social science domains to share their work.

Pillay, Vice-Dean (Social Impact and Transformation) of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, and Khosa, a lecturer in the Social Work Department, presented their research paper entitled Celebrating the Indomitable Spirit of South African Female Academics during the COVID-19 Pandemic at the conference.

The research was guided by autoethnography. Autoethnography is a research method that involves personal autoethnographic narrative which facilitates an understanding of the activities in which one partakes. When using autoethnography, the researcher is both the observer and the participant.

The paper reflects how, almost overnight, female academics had to adapt, adjust, and respond to the transition to remote teaching and learning, while accessing resources and managing their dual role – at home and as professionals.

“Whether working remotely or on campus, female academics often needed to juggle several roles in their lives, such as being an academic, parent, caregiver, student and home school tutor to their children. These roles are complex and have been to some extent exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic," the paper states.

Challenges

The paper further claims that female academics in general and women of colour in particular are underrepresented in the South African higher education sector, despite constituting well over 50% of the HE workforce. There are only four female vice-chancellors out of 26 universities to date. A 2007 Higher Education Resource Services South Africa survey revealed that five out of the 23 university registrars were female, and that while females comprised 21% of the deputy vice-chancellors and 21% of the executive directors.

South Africa also remains a highly patriarchal society where the responsibilities of caregiving and homemaking are disproportionately carried by females. The paper argues that these social inequalities relating to gender identity and gender roles have not been adequately considered within university settings. This disproportionate effect on the productivity of females has the potential to derail their progress and promotion in academia, impacting negatively on the diversity that is critical for excellence in academia.

Personal perceptions and perspectives

In the study, Khosa and Pillay also reflect on their personal experiences as female academics.

According to Khosa her family life and routine have been totally disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As a mother of three school-going children who are below the age of 10 years, I must do home schooling, which involves a minimum of two to three hours a day. As a caregiver, I need to prepare meals for my children, do laundry, go shopping for necessities and manage the household. All these tasks need to be done in between attending online meetings, reviewing postgraduate research work, and doing my own research. As a female academic I am expected to navigate between all these roles and still write an article, supervise postgraduate research and complete my doctorate. It takes courage, resilience, and commitment to flourish as a female academic while managing multiple roles at home."

Pillay found that online teaching, learning, assessments, and postgraduate supervision were beset by a basket of trial-and-error hurdles, a degree of uncertainty and unfamiliarity.

“My secret recipe for success, however, was resilience, perseverance, and positivity that all things are possible and showing compassion during very turbulent and depressing times. Making such changes was not only my key strength, but also a necessity in a fast-evolving pandemic that has claimed many lives amidst weak health systems, poverty, and corruption."

Recommendations

The paper recommends that HE institutions must be responsive to female academics and offer mental health, counselling workshops, and related services. 

“It is particularly important that the expectation of performance must be moderated with the reality brought about by COVID-19. A window of adjustment to the sudden change should be tolerated by default. Being alive should be prioritised and deliberate efforts must be made to support those that may still be struggling to cope with challenges."

It further stresses that female academics possess a unique power, resilience, and inner strength to accomplish distinct milestones amid chaos, impediments and even pandemics.

“With their maternal instincts, female academics exhibit large degrees of empathy and compassion to listen and understand where their students and other people come from, what their needs are, and what situational circumstances impact them."​