Stay home and be unfair: the amplification of inequalities among families with young children during COVID-19

Pitzalis, Marco;Spanò, Emanuela

2021-01-01

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Abstract

This article focuses on the educational practices and strat- egies mobilised by Italian families with children aged six years and younger, during the health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, in 2020. Specifically, we ana- lyse practices and strategies mobilised by families from different social milieus living in rural or urban contexts. We argue that the shift in childcare practices and needs during the pandemic promoted the reaffirmation of tra- ditional gender stereotypes and patterns of gendered la- bour division through the blurring of temporal and spatial boundaries between paid work, domestic labour and child- care. Our findings shed light on how differences in house- hold circumstances, such as the availability of space in the home, have impacted disparities in childcare. Specifically, how different housing conditions have profoundly influ- enced the coping mechanisms of both children and par- ents during school closures. We conclude by discussing teachers' attempts to realise educational activities for supporting continuity in the pedagogical relationship, in a context of different family conditions and educational patterns.