Women healthcare professionals’ COVID-19 experiences from a gender perspective: A qualitative study

Abstract

Women make up most of the health sector workers. Women healthcare professionals are adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic because they have to ensure their own safety in hospitals and provide care to their family members at the same time. Therefore, it is vital to address their challenges as they juggle work and family. However, there is a few research on the impact of gender on the challenges of being a women healthcare professional. This paper investigated the experiences and gendered challenges of being a women healthcare professional in the COVID-19 quarantine ward of a hospital. This qualitative study adopted a descriptive phenomenological research design. Data were collected from thirteen women healthcare professionals working in the COVID-19 quarantine ward, through in-depth semi-structured individual interviews. All interviews were transcribed and thematically analyzed using Giorgi's four-step phenomenological method. The data revealed three main themes: (1) individual effects, (2) work life, and (3) gendered challenges. Participants stated that working in a COVID-19 quarantine ward adversely affected their mental and physical health, self-care, housework, and family and social lives. Participants also noted that although working at a COVID-19 quarantine ward was challenging and exhausting, it allowed them to get professional satisfaction and develop professional skills. Gender inequality exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic had an adverse impact on women healthcare professionals. Therefore, the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic should also target gender inequality.