The struggle is real
How are women coping in the pandemic? Not very well, according to a study done by Universiti Malaya academics, and the emotional distress is debilitating for some.
ALTHOUGH no one has been spared the anxiety and emotional fatigue brought on by the coronavirus outbreak, emerging studies have indicated that the pandemic has hit women, especially working mothers, particularly hard.
Keen on finding out the pandemic’s impact on the emotional well-being of women in Malaysia, researchers from Universiti Malaya carried out a quantitative study on some 1,700 women to find out how they have been affected and also, what the main causes of their stress and anxiety are.
Lead researcher, Assoc Prof Dr Vimala Balakrishnan said that finding women to participate in the survey “was very easy”. Conducted online, Vimala and her team took barely a week to find respondents to their study.
“It was obvious that this was a subject that women wanted to share their input on. They wanted to vent and talk about what they were going through during the pandemic. Also, many were on social media during the MCO,” she shares.
The other academics behind the study are Dr Azmawaty Mohamad Nor, from the Department of Educational Psychology and Counselling, Prof Dr Nor Zuraida Zainal, a Professor and Consultant of Psychiatry from the Faculty of Medicine and Assoc Prof Dr Norliyana Mohd Shuib from the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology.
Vimala discloses that because the survey was conducted online (due to the restrictions on travel, etc), respondents were largely urban-dwellers from the Klang Valley and surrounding areas. Most of the respondents (78.6%) were between 31 and 60 years old, comprising women working from home (61%) and well-educated (92.8% with at least a tertiary education).
As for the income levels, almost 54% had an average household income level, however, many were also living below the average (from the B40 category). The respondents were mostly married and living with their families, with a household size ranging from 2 to 9 people (93%).
The survey showed that 37% of the women (664) surveyed experienced emotional distress during the movement control order; 33% (592) experienced depression and 24% (430) experienced stress during the pandemic, particularly when the MCO was in place. And, more worrying, a couple of the
respondents shared that their distress was so severe that they’d contemplated suicide.
“I think the findings are very telling – women are having trouble coping during the pandemic. Two respondents actually shared that they’d contemplated taking their own lives because they were so severely affected. Two out of a sample of 1,700 is significant because it could mean more people in the general population may be feeling the same way,” cautions Dr Vimala, adding that because the respondents remained anonymous, any intervention for the two women was not possible.
“The results of the study, particularly the comments of these two ladies, show that mental health of women and also the general public, is an area that must be tackled and help must be extended by our medical and mental health practitioners,” says Dr Vimala.
Overwhelmed and despondent
The impetus to do the study was somewhat personal, shares Dr Vimala.
“During the first MCO, I felt the stress and anxiety of being under lockdown too. The first three
months weren’t too bad as I had a lot of work to get done. But then, slowly, the fatigue starting setting in. Also, I noticed, that it was particularly difficult to connect with my female colleagues during the day.
“When I asked them about it, I found out the challenges they were facing as mothers working from home – they had work to get done and also see to their children’s schooling or share the use of their devices with their children or spouse. Some didn’t have a proper space for work and had to conduct online classes in their kitchens,” she shares.
Women are often regarded as kin-keepers of a family and are often overwhelmed in having to manage their households and children while working from home.
Various studies, both local and international, have found that females with a higher number of children had a higher level of emotional distress during Covid-19 isolation periods, explains Dr Vimala.
“And emotional distress, which we classify as those who experience stress and depression, is not only limited to married women, as single women (with or without children) struggle to cope psychologically
due to loneliness during lockdowns,” she says.
The main emotional stressor highlighted by the respondents was emotions which were feelings of loneliness, boredom and restlessness. The second biggest stressor was working from home. One of the concerns was not having work-life balance but instead having to cope with care-giving and household duties while seeing to work.
Other stressors were marital issues, financial issues and living conditions. Most did not have social support to cope with their stress and relied on family to help. Most did not want to seek help from outside, explains Dr Vimala.
She highlights that the study had its limitations but says the methodology and findings can be used as a foundation for further more in-depth studies on the subject.
“This study was cross-sectional where a causal link could not be established between distress and the emotional stressors. Perhaps a longitudinal study could determine the change in the psychological impact at the initial and later stages of the pandemic.
“Further, the findings are to be generalised cautiously as women from the marginalised community
were not taken into consideration,” she adds. Future studies could replicate the methodology to include more women from a diversified background.
The respondents in this study were also mostly from urban areas and thus the emotional stressors identified may not fully represent issues deemed more important to women from the rural community, the study observes.
“The pandemic has affected us in many, different ways and this pattern is echoed by the findings of the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry who reportedly received more than 64,000 calls during the first three months of the onset of the pandemic, mostly by women under duress,” she says.
The researchers hope that the findings will prompt the relevant authorities to reach out to those in need.
“It’s not only financial help that is needed although the pandemic has affected livelihoods of Malaysians and financial aid is necessary.
“But mental health is a big concern and the government needs to look at ways to help Malaysians cope,” she concludes.
MILLENNIALS. This often-misunderstood age group has inspired many stereotypes. Some people consider them free-spirited and passionate, eager to right the wrongs of previous generations. While others think them entitled youth, more interested in Tiktok than actually working.
What actually goes on in the minds of modern millennials? How do they think, and what are they actually passionate about?
Malaysian Millennial Voices ,a new poetry anthology published by Maya Press and edited by author/academic Professor Malachi Edwin Vethamani, might offer us some clues.
The book, available now, features 69 poems by 37 young Malaysian poets, all aged below 35. The cover art was designed by artist Jun Kit.
“I wanted to bring out a collection of poems for young Malaysians who have not had many opportunities to publish poetry in English. There are hardly any local publishers who are willing to publish poetry anthologies. When Maya Press agreed to support my project, I found a publisher willing to make this project feasible,” says Malachi.
“Young Malaysians have generally resorted to publishing their poems on social media like Instagram and Facebook, or self-publish them in personal blogs. I wanted to bring out a collection of poems to showcase the young Malaysian voices,” he adds.
Late last year, Malachi used social media to seek out participants and entries for the anthology. The response, he says, was a success. In the end, he received
530 poems, from 135 poets.
From there, the poems went through several rounds of selection, with Malachi aided by 15 writers/poets. Their expertise helped in the final product, with Malachi eventually making his final choices based on their recommendations. The book also features praise from a range of literary names, including Shirley Geoklin Lim, Wong Phui Nam, Bernice Chauly, Danton Remoto Sharon Bakar, Preeta Samarasan, Sheena
Baharudin, Susan Philip and Shivani Sivagurunathan.
“In terms of criteria, we wanted poems with ideas that were presented in an original manner with language that takes into account meaning and sound. Their use of imagery and poetic devices was of importance. We wanted poems that presented the millennials’ lives, concerns, worldview and experience,” says Malachi. He noticed that these young poets generally wrote free verse poems.
They presented shape poems, spoken word poems and political satire.
“The language in this collection of poems is contemporary, youthful and often conversational. It has the distinct flavour of Malaysian English both in form and idiom. With regards to themes and subject matter, these were varied and diverse.
“The poems touch on themes that range from everyday concerns to identity, growing up, dealing with the loss of parents and grandparents and political awareness,” says Malachi.
When thinking of millennials, some people may think their relative youth presents a hindrance to the maturity of their thoughts. Malachi, however, says this is not the case.
“These poets created a freshness in the poems, and it has to be recognised they have a valid voice. Their writing style is emerging and as they continue to write they will be stronger and more confident and we need to encourage this.”
In January, the powerful words and voice of poet Amanda Gorman, 22, America’s National Youth Poet Laureate, stole the show at the inauguration ceremony of US President Joe Biden.
“I believe Amanda is going to be an inspiration not just for Americans but all young people who want to write poetry,” says Malachi. In many ways, this book project allowed Malachi to see through many of the common misconceptions people have about millennials.
“My experience in working with millennials is that they are a mixed lot. Some are not able to take direct and honest criticisms while others welcome this and rise to the challenge. Those made of sterner stuff are successful and fit better in the work world.
“Reading these poems made me very hopeful. I was certainly pleased to see these young poets drawing from their varied heritage, concerned about their identities, examining their lives and showing political consciousness,” he concludes.