The Working Conditions of Teachers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Gender Paradise Exposed

• In Event: Pushing the Boundaries of Gender Equity Research

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to shed a light on the ever-changing working conditions of Icelandic upper secondary school teachers during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. We investigated whether working conditions are affected by gender and family composition and if it shifted throughout the year. The data consists of interviews with 12 teachers and electronic survey submitted twice to all teachers in 2020. Stress among teachers increased throughout the year and the gender difference was significant. Female teachers seem to have been primary caregivers in the homes and consequently found it more strenuous to attend to their teaching duties. The results evoke important questions concerning teachers’ working conditions and expose the Icelandic gender paradise.

Authors

• Guðrún Ragnarsdóttir, University of Iceland

• Súsanna Margrét Gestsdóttir, University of Iceland

• Elsa Eiriksdottir, University of Iceland

• Amalia Bjornsdottir, University of Iceland