ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Glob. Women’s Health
Sec. Women's Mental Health
This article is part of the Research TopicMaternal Wellbeing at Home and Work: The Impacts of COVID-19 School and Childcare ClosuresView all 5 articles
Women and household responsibilities under COVID-19 lockdowns: Many steps backwards in implementing SDG 5 in South Africa
Provisionally accepted
- University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa
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Debates continue regarding the impacts of COVID-19 on women and girls. Lockdowns increased home-based responsibilities, causing work overloads and trauma. This study investigates the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on women's household responsibilities and caregiving rolesthe roles and responsibilities of women and the girl child at the household level in Limpopo Province, assessing how these effects differed between urban and rural settings.South Africa, with a focus on two municipalities, Molemole and Polokwane. Guided by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and key SDGs, including SDG 5 (Gender), SDG 4 (Quality Education), and SDG 6 (Water and Sanitation), the research utilized a quantitative survey-based mixed-methods approach, including household and teacher surveys, to assess the differentiated impacts of the pandemic on urban and rural settings. A total of 4,571 completed household surveys and 226 teacher surveys were conducted between October 2022 and March 2023. The study explored various aspects of gendered experiences during the pandemic, including water access, sanitation, education disruptions, and the increased caregiving burdens placed on women. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses, including ANOVA tests, were conducted to examine the relationships between household dynamics, water access, and gendered responsibilities. The data revealed significant gender disparities, with women disproportionately impacted by inadequate water, unreliable sanitation facilities, and the added burdens of unpaid caregiving. The research highlighted the increased vulnerability of the girl child, particularly regarding school dropouts and unwanted pregnancies. The paper recommends gendered perspectives in pandemic responses and age-sensitive policies for resilience. It also urges decision-makers to recognize the long-term impacts of COVID-19 on achieving SDG 5 and related goals, such as SDG 3.
Keywords: COVID-19, SDG 5, SDG 3, SDG 4, Stakeholders, Women, girls, unpaid work
Received: 26 Jun 2025; Accepted: 03 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Nhamo and Maoela. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Malebajoa Anicia Maoela, malebajoam@gmail.com
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