Mothers in Lockdown Due to COVID-19 in Mexico: Does Having a Paid Job Make a Difference?
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Participants
2.2. Instruments
- A sociodemographic questionnaire that explored age, education, paid work, the presence of a partner, the number and age of children, and the number of pets at home.
- A questionnaire on the use of information technologies (ICTs). It included test items that evaluated the frequent use of electronic devices (desktop computer, laptop, tablet, cellphones), social networks (WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok) and videoconferencing applications (Skype, Hangouts, Zoom). Participants were asked to indicate how much they used each of these during lockdown (e.g., “How much have you used WhatsApp during the lockdown?”) with six options for answers that went from 1 (I have not used it) to 6 (I have used it a lot). We used these expressions and this scale as they are quite common in the daily use of Mexican Spanish.
- A questionnaire about domestic workload. It contained a list of the household chores most commonly performed in Mexican homes (shopping, cooking, washing the dishes, cleaning the kitchen, cleaning rooms, washing bathrooms, laundry and ironing, taking care of children (bathing, dressing, feeding them), doing schoolwork with children, tending to pets). It also asked participants to identify who was doing the chores during the lockdown: herself, her partner, her children and/or someone else (a maid, a family member or no one).
- A questionnaire about the problems and advantages of lockdown. One test item assessed the overall sensation experienced during lockdown: “On a scale of 1 to 10, how have you felt in this quarantine? 1 indicates that you have felt terribly bad and 10 that you have felt perfectly fine”. Two open-ended questions were included: (a) the biggest problem faced during lockdown and (b) the main perceived advantage of quarantine. Finally, a list of various strategies implemented to alleviate the effects of lockdown was presented, and participants were asked to indicate which they were using. The included activities were grouped into: cohabitation (e.g., eating together, sharing jokes and pranks); entertainment (e.g., watching TV, movies, series or YouTube videos); cognitive (e.g., reading, learning something new); physical (e.g., dancing, exercising); and reflection (e.g., focusing on the present, having a routine, praying).
2.3. Procedure
2.4. Data Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Use of Information Technologies (ICTs)
3.2. Household Workload
3.3. Problems and Advantages of Lockdown
3.4. Strategies Used to Cope with Quarantine
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Sociodemographic Variables | Total N = 220 | Mothers with No Paid Job N = 110 | Mothers with a Paid Job N = 110 | Statistical Test | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Age (in years) | Mean (SD) Range | 37.90 (6.27) 24 to 55 | 37.68 (6.10) | 38.13 (6.48) | t(218) = 0.526 n.s. |
Level of education | Secondary, technical career or baccalaureate (%) | 27.7 | 33.6 | 21.8 | χ2(2) = 4.221 n.s. |
Bachelor degree (%) | 56.8 | 53.6 | 60.0 | ||
Postgraduate (%) | 15.5 | 12.7 | 18.2 | ||
Number of children | Mean (SD)Range | 1.99 (0.86) 1 to 5 | 2.08 (0.90) | 1.90 (0.81) | t(218) = 1.573 n.s. |
With child(ren) whose age is… | Under 6 years of age (%) | 48.6 | 52.7 | 44.5 | χ2(3) = 0.906 n.s. |
Ages 6 to 11 (%) | 59.1 | 57.3 | 60.9 | ||
Ages 12 to 15 (%) | 32.7 | 34.5 | 30.9 | ||
Ages 16 or older (%) | 16.8 | 16.4 | 17.3 | ||
Partner with a paid job (%) | 76.4 | 71.8 | 80.9 | χ2(1) = 2.040 n.s. | |
Pets | With pets (%) | 75.0 | 79.1 | 70.9 | χ2(1) = 1.552 n.s. |
Mean (SD) Range | 1.78 (1.17) 1 to 5 | 1.86 (1.31) | 1.69 (0.98) | t(218) = 0.931 n.s. |
Domestic Activity | Mother with Paid Work | People who Carry Out Domestic Activities (%) * | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mother | Partner | Child(ren) | Employee Someone Else Nobody | ||
Groceries shopping | No | 62.7 | 60.0 | 3.6 | 2.7 |
Yes | 68.2 | 70.9 | 0.9 | 1.8 | |
χ2(1) ** | n.s. | n.s. | n.s. | n.s. | |
Cooking | No | 93.6 | 23.6 | 10.0 | 5.5 |
Yes | 82.7 | 40.0 | 8.2 | 7.3 | |
χ2(1) | 5.278, p = 0.022 | 6.055, p = 0.014 | n.s. | n.s. | |
Doing the dishes | No | 84.5 | 29.1 | 28.2 | 8.2 |
Yes | 82.7 | 51.8 | 24.5 | 5.5 | |
χ2(1) | n.s. | 10.869, p = 0.001 | n.s. | n.s. | |
Cleaning the kitchen | No | 89.1 | 23.6 | 11.8 | 11.9 |
Yes | 83.6 | 44.5 | 15.5 | 9.1 | |
χ2(1) | n.s. | 9.791, p = 0.002 | n.s. | n.s. | |
Cleaning the rooms | No | 97.3 | 31.8 | 38.2 | 9.1 |
Yes | 96.4 | 50.9 | 37.3 | 5.5 | |
χ2(1) | n.s. | 7.496, p = 0.006 | n.s. | n.s. | |
Cleaning the bathrooms | No | 78.2 | 16.4 | 16.4 | 13.6 |
Yes | 74.5 | 35.5 | 10.9 | 11.8 | |
χ2(1) | n.s. | 9.472, p = 0.002 | n.s. | n.s. | |
Laundry and ironing | No | 85.5 | 22.7 | 8.2 | 10.9 |
Yes | 82.7 | 37.3 | 8.2 | 10.9 | |
χ2(1) | n.s. | 4.87, p = 0.027 | n.s. | n.s. | |
Looking after the children (bathing, clothing, feeding) | No | 86.4 | 37.3 | 17.3 | 7.3 |
Yes | 84.5 | 50.9 | 16.4 | 4.5 | |
χ2(1) | n.s. | 4.149, p = 0.042 | n.s. | n.s. | |
Helping children with homework | No | 78.2 | 28.2 | 23.6 | 1.8 |
Yes | 79.1 | 35.5 | 20.0 | 0.9 | |
χ2(1) | n.s. | n.s. | n.s. | n.s. | |
Caring for the pet(s) | No | 48.2 | 28.2 | 38.2 | 24.5 |
Yes | 49.1 | 33.6 | 30.9 | 29.1 | |
χ2(1) | n.s. | n.s. | n.s. | n.s. |
Biggest Problem Faced during Lockdown | Participants (%) | Main Perceived Advantage of Lockdown | Participants (%) |
---|---|---|---|
Activity overload * | 16.1 | Living with family; being present for children and/or the partner | 60.5 |
Anxiety, irritability, impatience, uncertainty | 15.5 | No hurry/Rest | 13.6 |
Confinement * | 12.6 | Chance to reflect and value | 5.9 |
Homework, lessons and recreation with children | 11.5 | Doing enjoyable activities | 5.5 |
Decrease or lack of income * | 10.1 | No advantages | 3.6 |
Intensity of coexistence at home; overcrowding; difficulties in relationships | 9.0 | Savings | 3.6 |
Fear of getting sick or that loved ones will get sick or die | 5.5 | Work from home (own and/or the partner) | 2.7 |
Lack of coexistence with family and friends; isolation, loneliness | 6.0 | Self-care | 2.3 |
Work stress | 2.5 | Other | 2.3 |
Other | 11.2 | ||
Total | 100.0 | Total | 100.0 |
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Calleja, N.; Mota, C. Mothers in Lockdown Due to COVID-19 in Mexico: Does Having a Paid Job Make a Difference? Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 11014. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191711014
Calleja N, Mota C. Mothers in Lockdown Due to COVID-19 in Mexico: Does Having a Paid Job Make a Difference? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022; 19(17):11014. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191711014
Chicago/Turabian StyleCalleja, Nazira, and Cecilia Mota. 2022. "Mothers in Lockdown Due to COVID-19 in Mexico: Does Having a Paid Job Make a Difference?" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, no. 17: 11014. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191711014