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/

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

3. SUPERA Follow-up and Review meeting, Madrid
Sample
· Survey of 219 faculty members at UC; respondentes
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).
· Response rate of 14%
· All survey results presented as differing over
gender/sex, age, parenthood and type of contract
are statistically significant.

4. SUPERA Follow-up and Review meeting, Madrid
Physical 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 (%)

5. 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;
Psychological impact
Psychological/emotional effects of the lockdown (N= 281; mean
values)*
*Scale:
1 – Never;
2 – Rarely;
3 – Often;
4 - Always

6. SUPERA Follow-up and Review meeting, Madrid
Time usage
- Professional/academic time usage
· 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 understabd the effectes of the working conditions
imposed by Covid-10 pandemic.
Figure 3. Changes in time allocation to personal and household tasks
under lockdown (mean values) (N=281)
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
Household
chores
Preparing meals External
household
chores
Caring for
children
Homeschooling Caring for
adults
Sports/physical
exercise
Leisure Personal care
Female Male Total

7. SUPERA Follow-up and Review meeting, Madrid
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 e-
teaching and institutional
departamental servisse;
· In terms of academic production:
· Greatest increase in number of scientific outputs oberved amongst women (no statistical significance)
· Interception of gender and parental status contributes decisively to shape conditions for scientific
production during lockdown
· Female and precarious academics submitted less to peer-reviewed journals
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
CONCLUSIONS
GREATER SEVERITY OF THE EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC CRISIS ON
ACADEMIC WOMEN, BUT PRECARIOUS AND JUNIOR ACADEMICS WITH
YOUNG CHILDREN ALSO PARTICULARLY DISADVANTAGED
Work-life balance
- Female academics and academics with young children are those who most
emphasize the influence of COVID-19 on the amount of time dedicated to
professional work;
- Female academics report greater spillover between family and work;
- Female and younger academics with greater difficulties in reconciling work / home /
family life and greater exposure to stress / anxiety.
Academic production
- Female academics with children in particular disadvantage when compared to
women without children and men (with and without children).
- The decrease in academic output is even more pronounced among those who are
precariously employed.
- However, no statistically significant difference in female academics´ outputs.

9. SUPERA Follow-up and Review meeting, Madrid
(*) Diferenças com significância estatística para um nível de confiança de 95%.
MITIGATION
- Support for research and teaching (distance learning), particularly e-teaching training
- Strengthening of technical / administrative support services for teaching and research, as well
as simplification of administrative procedures
- Provision of remote work / distance learning resources (IT equipment, financial / logistical
support)
- Support for publication (scientific / technical / logistical)
- Communication and involvement of the academic community, including the reinforcement of
quality / effectiveness mechanisms of communication / consultation / participation of academic
staff in decision-making
- Support for the articulation of work and personal family life
- Different teaching times and schedules (e.g., reducing class time, concentrating on-site teaching
service, extending teaching hours)
- Maintaining the possibility of remote work
- Maintaining distance learning (exclusive / mixed / hybrid regimes)
- Individualized support, including through the provision / reinforcement of psychological support

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