SOC261: Sociological Implications of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Gender Issues in the Family: Sociology of Family Essay, SUSS, Singapore

Assignment 2: Sociological Implications of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Gender Issues in the Family

Question (100 marks)

“Home isolation measures were introduced all around the world in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19, but it’s putting families to the test. It has been reported that living and working together in a confined space has created spikes in divorce applications and domestic violence. But during such tumultuous times, forced togetherness does have its own unexpected positives.”

NUS LKYSPP: Global-is-Asian staff, “COVID-19: Too close for comfort – Will the pandemic make or break the family?”, 28 May 2020.

Analyse the extent to which ‘home isolation’ and ‘forced togetherness’ of family members, used as measures to counter the Covid-19 pandemic, had resulted in gendered experiences, affecting male and female family members in different ways and intensity.

You should apply sociological theories and concepts to demonstrate your understanding. Provide relevant empirical evidence as examples in your discussion.

Student notes

Read the following notes to understand what you are expected to do for this assignment:

•  To analyse the extent to which the Covid-19 pandemic measures on families had resulted in different experiences for males and females, you should apply sociological concepts like socio-cultural norms, gender roles, gender stereotypes and opportunity structures to show how they may influence the way males and females experience the social circumstances of ‘home isolation’ and ‘forced togetherness’ of family members.
•  You should examine the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic measures on the dynamics of gender relationships in families, particularly during the ‘circuit breaker’ period, to explain why male and female family members may encounter different internal and external stressors and how they cope with these stressful experiences.
•  You are expected to apply relevant sociological theories to support your arguments.