Socio-economic Aspects of the Crisis Caused by COVID-19: Effects of the Change in the Work Regime

Abstract

The unprecedented measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a change in everyone’s lifestyle, but proved to be extremely detrimental to the psychological, social and economic well-being of a specific group in society, namely families with little children. In order to thoroughly analyze the challenges facing this crisis-stricken group, a qualitative study was carried out using the calendar interview method among 21 randomly selected working parents. The interviews were conducted in December 2021 - January 2022. All interviewed parents have worked in a changed mode of work. This means transitioning from work at the office to work at home and combining it with caring for children who are unable to attend kindergarten or school. The results of the study show that the change in the mode of work in combination with other factors was among the leading causes of stress for the parents and children with lockdown conditions. The effect was especially strong for the women.