COVID and the Modern Woman

I have always been a proponent of doing my homework in my bedroom. I know that may be an unpopular opinion, but I have always done my work like that. However, with the shift to online school via Zoom, I hate doing my work in my room and I am no longer successful with that setup. At first, I believed this shift to be related to the general stress that stemmed from the change of moving out of my dorm and back home in March. However, as the end of the year rapidly approaches, I find that I am still struggling with this. This hardship no longer seems to be just associated with this disruptive transformation of my work routine but rather to the fact that all of the central aspects of my life now exist within the walls of my apartment.

I attend all of my classes, work out, and even go to the doctor from my bedroom. Everything in life that once occurred in a wide variety of locations now all occur within not just my apartment, but my bedroom. My apartment and my bedroom are no longer a space for just relaxation and personal time. They have become a majority of my world. This shift is what has made success in my schoolwork so difficult. Our lives are now limited to small portions of the world we once knew. We used to have numerous opportunities to travel to different places and meet a variety of new people. Now that those opportunities are taken away from us, we feel confined.

This struggle is further emphasized by gender norms and expectations that exist in society. In terms of the larger history of patriarchal societies, women of all social classes have just recently been given the opportunity to work outside the household. The modern woman has the freedom to be who she wants to be in both her professional and personal life. She can choose to have a career and a family if she wants. She can also balance all aspects of her life efficiently. The modern woman is no longer limited to the stereotypical role of a mother and a housewife. However, due to COVID-19, everyone is expected to stay at home. The concept of the modern woman, therefore, has been tarnished to some degree.

While everyone’s worlds have been condensed due to COVID-19, the woman’s world being confined once again to the household is potentially a major setback. Women are once again homemakers. While the modern woman may still hold a job that is traditionally outside of the home, COVID-19 has sent them out of their offices and storefronts and back into the home. There is no separation, yet again, from the public and the private. When our worlds are reduced, so are we.

By Lilly Delehanty

Duke Student, pink purveyor and resident expert on surviving and thriving.