In This Story
Originally published on July 16, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic may have worsened intimate partner and domestic violence issues but understanding how is important, a panel of experts suggested on Wednesday afternoon. Any time there is a disaster, marginalized groups are often affected in worse ways than others, despite what type of disaster it may be.
As a result of the pandemic, 30 to 40 million people鈥攎ostly men鈥攚ere put out of work. Psychologists typically agree that being the 鈥渂read-winner鈥 of the family is a pillar of masculinity, and unemployment, paired with worsening financial situations, may have caused anxiety in the male population, leading to increased levels of domestic violence.
These were some of the hidden realities of the pandemic discussed in an hour-plus聽聽webinar sponsored by the Schar School鈥檚聽聽(GAP). More than 60 people attended the virtual event that was moderated by聽, GAP director, and Guillermo de los Reyes, associate director of the Women鈥檚, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program at the University of Houston.
The panelists included Angela Hattery, co-director of the Center for the Study and Prevention of Gender Based Violence at the University of Delaware; Tlara Willie, assistant professor at John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Elizabeth Gregory, director of the Women鈥檚, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program at the University of Houston; Jhumka Gupta, an associate professor at the College of Health and Human Services at 亚洲AV; and Barbara Paradiso, director of the Center on Domestic Violence at the University of Colorado Denver.
Researchers of domestic violence, the panelists said, have realized that domestic violence issues spike when pregnancy begins, as women become focused on things other than their intimate partner, which can cause feelings of jealousy, especially in men. The COVID-19 pandemic, which forced many mothers to begin home-schooling their children, likely raised the anxiety levels of both spouses, who were already dealing with greater financial strains. For more, view a full recording of the discussion.