Gendered Impacts of COVID-19 Policies in Southern Europe: A Work-Life Balance Perspective

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13136/isr.v16i3.1104

Abstract

Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated pre-existing social inequalities with relevant implications for gender equality. The explosion of care needs and work demands became particularly evident during the first wave of the pandemic when, in almost all European countries, restrictions implying “staying at home” were implemented. Several studies investigated the impact of the pandemic and the containment measures adopted, which often led to increased demands, especially for women. From a gender equality perspective, the study builds on existing literature to review work-life balance policies and strategies implemented during the pandemic in some Southern European countries (Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain) and their implications for gender equality. Enriched by the analysis of the Covid-19 response policies implemented by South European countries and their interaction with pre-existing gender inequalities, the paper also offers policy insights for future challenges (flexible work arrangements, parental leave, home/smart working options), urging for a gender-responsive recovery plan.

Author Biographies

Isabella Crespi, Università di Macerata Dipartimento di Scienze della Formazione, dei beni culturali e del Turismo

Full Professor in Sociology of cultural processes

Isabella Crespi received her in Ph.D. in Sociology and Methodology of research and is associate professor in Cultural Sociology at the University of Macerata (Italy). Current research activities include studies about education and social changes, gender equality, work-life balance, European social policies. She has been coordinator of the ESA RN13 network Sociology of Families and Intimate Lives (2013-2017) and she is now member of the advisory Board. She is in the list experts of EIGE Institute (Eu commission Vilnius) and has been expert Evaluator for European Commission (DG Justice).

Vera Lomazzi, Dept. Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo

Vera Lomazzi, PhD in Sociology and Social Research Methodology, is an associate professor of General Sociology at the Department of Business Sciences at the University of Bergamo. Until 2021, she worked at the GESIS Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences as Head of Team Survey Data Augmentation in the Survey Data Curation department. She is president of the European Survey Research Association and, since 2017, has been Secretary of the Executive Committee of the European Values Study. She is a member of the OECD-Dev Global Technical Advisory Group.
Her research focuses on the comparative study of European values and gender norms. She is an expert in survey methodology and has a specific interest in the quality of the tools used in cross-national survey programmes and the challenges of comparability. Her work has been published in European Societies, Cross-Cultural Research, Social Science Research, Quality&Quantity, and Survey Research Methods.
She has participated in and coordinated numerous national and international research projects on gender inequality, social and economic participation of young people, and social research infrastructure.

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Published

02.10.2026

How to Cite

Crespi, I., Lomazzi, V., & Pellegrino, M. (2026). Gendered Impacts of COVID-19 Policies in Southern Europe: A Work-Life Balance Perspective. Italian Sociological Review, 16(3), 1023. https://doi.org/10.13136/isr.v16i3.1104

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 3 (2026)

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Isabella Crespi, Vera Lomazzi, Margherita Pellegrino

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