*3.8. Superordinate Theme 3: Evolving Women's Community and Collaboration*

All four participants discussed particular challenges women faced during the pandemic, in the workplace, and in themselves. They also discussed women's self-discoveries, women's role in solving challenges posed by the pandemic, and the discovery of their place in a women's community.

#### 3.8.1. Subtheme 3.1: Women Take Action

Tammy spoke a lot about the other mothers who joined together via social media to help each other cope and survive during the pandemic. She heard of several groups of mothers who had gotten together in pods to educate their kids. There was an umbrella group comprised of 160 mothers that oversaw everyone and made educational reports to the state which she joined. "Mothers started trading curriculums, and knowledge and forming small groups . . . Women have done a phenomenal job caring for each other".

As Tammy added, "Thank God for other mothers. We helped each other ... There was a lot of help going on between mothers ... . I feel like I had it easy because I had help ... Mothers put together small groups and got support from each other. This was the only way we made it . . . We become each other's villages. It takes a village".

Amira explained that "The 24/7 setting was challenging but my friends supported me. We are all in this together ... Without friends talking to them on the phone and sharing what we are going through together, we would have had more trouble making it ... Talking to friends helped me realize that I'm not the only one feeling this".

Amira referred to women's resilience. "Every woman can do it—we are resilient and we figure it out no matter the circumstances. Trust yourself, be open to the experience".

#### 3.8.2. Subtheme 3.2: Women's Community Consolidated

Murphy spoke about women who had taken the initiative to solve the challenges of the pandemic in the community because of a lack of support from the government. She spoke of a colleague who was providing Spanish language translation services at hospitals and churches for the community free of charge to help Spanish speakers access community services during the pandemic. She mentioned women leading grassroots efforts such as teaching people how to use computers to sign up for the vaccine.
