Work and Childcare Role Conflicts of Working Mothers Under the Condition of Social Distancing Caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic in Vietnam
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Abstract
This study investigates the work and childcare role conflicts among working Vietnamese female laborers during the period of social distancing caused by the outbreak of COVID-19 in Vietnam by employing the theory of work and family conflict as a theoretical framework to figure out the dimensions of strife. By analyzing qualitative data collected from 15 working Vietnamese mothers selected by applying the snowball sampling method, this study shows that the work and childcare role conflicts among Vietnamese women are manifested in three aspects: (1) the lack of time to fulfill expected roles, leading to (2) the state of role strain that is, in turn, considered as the cause of (3) the emergence of inappropriate behaviors with corresponding roles. The findings also reveal that accepting role conflicts as temporary difficulties is one of the solutions for women to overcome hardships during the period of social distancing. In addition, working mothers resolve disputes through their efforts without the demand for reassigning responsibilities in the family to distribute house chores equally to their husbands.
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References
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