Why Research Productivity Among Women in Academia Suffered During the Early Stages of COVID-19 Crisis: A Qualitative Analysis

The discourse on research productivity during the early months of COVID-19 has been dominated by bibliometric and quantitative studies highlighting the fewer publications from women scholars compared to men, but few considered the reasons behind this phenomenon. This paper offers new empirical insights into the experiences and perceptions of women scholars during the early stages of the pandemic using the feminist standpoint theory approach to understand why they have been seemingly less productive. Our findings, based on 101 qualitative survey responses, illustrate the centrality of support with respect to childcare, professional-emotional support from peers and mentors that were lost. Restricted access to institutional facilities, resources, loss of structure, additional time required to prepare for online teaching, and increased service load have negatively impacted research productivity. These factors are compounded by poor mental health with high cognitive and emotional tolls, resulting in depleted resources for the intellectually demanding research activities. Conversely, some women scholars, particularly those without care responsibilities, reported reduced commutes, fewer meetings, and flexible working hours, resulting in unchanged or increased research productivity. As the impact of the pandemic is ongoing, it is critical to assess the underlying causes of reduced productivity of women scholars to mitigate these effects.