Presentation held by Mònica Lopes (CES-UC) during the online event "How COVID-19 impacted on gender equality in academia", organised by SUPERA on 9 June 2021. More info about the event are available here: https://www.superaproject.eu/covid-19-impact-on-gender-equality-in-academia-on-9-06-an-online-event-to-present-the-surveys-results/

1. University of Coimbra
“WORKING CONDITIONS, TIME
USAGE AND ACADEMIC
PRODUCTION DURING THE
COVID-19 CRISIS“
- MAIN RESULTS

2. SUPERA Follow-up and Review meeting, Madrid
Sample
· Data were collected from an online questionnaire
administered to the universe of faculty members of
the University of Coimbra (898 female, 1102 male)
· A total of 281 questionnaires were duly filled and
returned (response rate of 14%)
· Respondents: 54% women and 45% men
(overrepresentation of women in the sample by 8
p.p. – felt more acutely in higher ranks)
Respondents by sex/gender
N %
Female 153 54,4
Male 126 44,8
Non-binary 2 0,7
Total 281 100,0
Respondents by academic rank (*)
Total %
Women
N %
Rank A 20 7,1 40,0
Rank B 35 12,5 57,1
Rank C 126 44,8 50
Rank D 98 34,9 63,3
Total 281 100,0 54,4
(*)
Grade A: Full Professor, Researcher Coordinators;
Grade B: Associate Professors, Principal Investigators;
Grade C: Assistant Professors /Researchers;
Grade D: Other academic personnel (Assistants;
Lecturers, Monitors; Research fellows with/without PhD
(non-tenure track positions).
· All survey results presented as differing over
gender/sex, age, parenthood and type of contract
are statistically significant.

3. SUPERA Follow-up and Review meeting, Madrid
(Remote) Working conditions
- Access to resources
· Acess to some essential resources is
not uniform – influenced bt gender,
parental status, age and type of
contract
· Men report greater accessibility to
most listed resources, except
access to outdoor space
· Negative effect of motherhood on
internet speed
· Not of fatherhood
· Maternity as an importante factor
hampering women´s access to all
resources
· Age and employment status:
· Own working spaces and quite environments are less accessible at younger ages and to people with
precarious contracts;
· Younger male academics do not experienced the relative disadvantage younger females face on
access to proper housing conditions and quiet environments
Resources for remote work (%)

4. SUPERA Follow-up and Review meeting, Madrid
· Psychological impact particularly perverse for women (higher levels of sadness, anxiety, health
and professional concerns, perceived lack of control)
· Parenthood effect – academics with childrn more aprehensive about future
· Young and precarious – young professionals and those with precarious contracts share
concern about professional future, as well as stress, anxiety and sadness;
(Remote) Working conditions
- Emotional conditions to work
Psychological/emotional effects of the lockdown (N= 281; mean
values)*
*Scale:
1 – Never;
2 – Rarely;
3 – Often;
4 - Always

5. SUPERA Follow-up and Review meeting, Madrid
Working conditions
- Household work and personal time
· The pandemic has disproportionately affected the personal time and dedication to
domestic and care work of female academics and of younger academics with
children;
· Prominence of sex/gender to understand the effects of the working conditions
imposed by Covid-10 pandemic.
Changes in time allocation to personal and household tasks under lockdown (mean
values) (N=281)
*Scale:
1 – Less time;
2 – No difference;
3 – More time.

6. SUPERA Follow-up and Review meeting, Madrid
Work-life balance and time usage
- Work-life conflit
· Female academics and academics
with young children:
· Are most exposed to work-life
balance struggles;
· report greater negative spillover
between family and work;
· are those who most emphasize the
influence of COVID-19 on the amount
of time dedicated to professional
work. 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Female
Male
No influence Small influence Moderate influence Large influence
Perceived influence of COVID-19 pandemic
on time dedicated to academic/scientific
work

7. SUPERA Follow-up and Review meeting, Madrid
Work-family balance and time usage
- Academic time usage
· The most pronounced adjustements are those by academic staff with children in
“research” and “knowledged transfer” (34% and 63%, respectively);
· Women particularly bound to the reinforcement of teaching and institutional/
departamental service during the “stay home order”.
Average change in weekly hours dedicated to the different areas of
academic/scientific work before and during confinement

8. SUPERA Follow-up and Review meeting, Madrid
Academic production
· Women without children and men with and without children have increased
their output submission during the confinement, whereas younger academic
mothers faced an inverse trend.
· The decrease in academic output is even more pronounced among those who
are precariously employed.
Academic outputs (submissions) considered
Books
Book chapters
Articles in “peer-reviewed” Journals
Edition/Co-Edition of Volumes/Special Editions of Scientific Journals
“Working papers”
Scientific event proceedings
Reports
Scientific dissemination articles
Manuals/Pedagogical resources

9. SUPERA Follow-up and Review meeting, Madrid
CONCLUSION
Greater severity of the effects of the
pandemic crisis on academic women, but
precarious and junior academics with young
children also particularly disadvantaged.
Importance of institutional support to reduce
the negative impact of the pandemic –
including support form colleagues, from
admin services, from the department and/or
from the University leadership.
MITIGATION

10. www.uc.pt/supera
www.superaproject.eu
Email: monica@ces.uc.pt
Tel: +351 239 855 570
@superaproject
#SuperaH2020
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This project has received funding from the
European Union's Horizon 2020 research and
innovation programme under grant agreement
No. 787829.