INTERVIEW WITH PGT TEACHER TO FIND DIFFICULTIES IN THE LIVES OF HOUSEWIVES AND WORKING WOMEN DURING AND AFTER THE LOCKDOWN

Name – Anu Sharma Designation – PGT Teacher in English We took an interview with Ms. Anu Sharma, to find out the changes in her life, during and after the lockdown or the COVID-19 pandemic. Here is what she told us: Q1. Are you a working woman or a housewife? A. Working woman. Q2. How many hours did you put into work (office/housework) before Covid 19? How has that changed in the New Covid Era? A. Before covid, I used to work for 10-12 hrs daily. The Lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic changed my life completely. Without domestic help, my responsibilities and work hours have drastically increased. I think now I am on a work mode 24×7. Q3. How has your schedule changed? And, how has that affected your health (both physical and mental)? A. Well it’s quite exhausting now. The household chores have taken a toll on my mental as well as physical health. Q4. Did you have any sort of Domestic help before Covid-shutdowns, and how have you managed that situation? A. Yes, I had regular domestic helpers before the pandemic shutdowns. Thankfully, my family had been supportive and been a great help during the entire lockdown phase. Q5. If you are working from home, how challenging has the situation been if you have people to care for at home? A. Since my family had been supportive, I could easily balance my personal and professional lives. Q6. In the early stages of Covid, did you get anxious about the fact that you have to stay at home? If so, how did you approach that situation? A. Initially, we hardly knew about the seriousness of the pandemic. So, we were kind of relaxed. We thought it was a great opportunity to spend some quality time with family. Q7. Did your relatives come to live with you? Also, did it add to your burden? A. No, I never had any visitors thankfully. Q8. Were you faced with financial difficulties? A. Not much. We were saving extra expenses. Q9. Whether working women were afraid of being laid off? A. No, I wasn’t. Q10. How close did the family members become? A. Everybody realized their responsibilities towards each other became more cooperative, caring, and compatible. Family well-being was our priority. Rest everything became secondary. Q11. If you have kids at home, what did they feel about colleges and schools shutting down and how did it affect their lifestyle? A. The kids initially enjoyed the unexpected long vacation. Gradually they started becoming fed up with being confined within the four boundaries of home. Q12. Do you now prefer working from home if given a choice of permanent work from home? A. Yes, I would love to. Q13. How demanding is your profession? A. It’s a 24×7 job. We need to multitask and be competitive. Q14. If you are a teacher, then how has this changed your teaching habits. How did you adapt to it? A. Online teaching has completely changed the classroom scenario. It is a challenge to use technology in teaching and to keep students attentive and regular with work. Q15. If there any silver lining in this situation, what do you reckon is yours? A. Family time and bonding. From the interview, we saw that the COVID-19 pandemic has majorly affected physical and mental well-being. It has been a tough time for the family. Yet, the pandemic has improved the bonding between the family members and relatives. It has taken out the best of them and showed that together they can fight the virus. There has been an overall change in the lifestyle and working pattern after the lockdown. Especially, the work-from-home lifestyle and the online classes have changed the way of working and learning respectively. Questionnaire by: – Reshu – Harshit Sharma – Yash – Vaishnavi Nimma We are all in this “Together”; for any assistance, query, or feedback please contact us on the details. You may also, contribute and join us.