Implications of COVID-19 on women workers in the service sector. A special focus on Italy

Tania Toffanin (1, 2)

1 Unipd - Università degli Studi di Padova = University of Padua
2 LISE - Laboratoire interdisciplinaire pour la sociologie économique

Women workers have been hit particularly hard by the corona crisis, with implications for all areas of life, ranging from health to social and economic issues. This research carried out by feminist sociologist Tania Toffanin examines various consequences of the crisis on women workers‘ lives in Italy. The study is based on the assumption that due to the highly unequal distribution of care work in conjunction with the ongoing reduction in public spending on care services for children and dependent persons, the crisis has a particularly negative impact on women in Italy, especially those working in the service sector. The analysis carried out includes 18 interviews with women workers aged between 25 and 54 living in Northern Italy (Veneto and Lombardy). The interviewees are employed in the sectors particularly affected by the crisis (workers in the canteen and catering sector, workers in the hospitality industry, tourist guides, and workers in the entertainment industry). Among the issue examined are management of work suspension, work-life balance, income difficulties, and the interviewees’ sense of their future prospects. In addition, ten trade unionists from the above-mentioned regions were interviewed. The qualitative analysis was accompanied by analysis of various social and economic indicators.

Domains: Sociology

Tania Toffanin. Implications of COVID-19 on women workers in the service sector. A special focus on Italy. 2021. ⟨hal-03597251⟩