Having mixed feelings about the article that's circulating about #gender disparities in #research productivity under lockdown. Yes, it's true, but it's only bringing to acute visibility the inequalities that were always present. Covid-19 is not the cause; it merely accentuates it

And it also doesn't speak about the other reasons why women #academics might be able to do less research: the burdens of #emotionallabour, higher incidences of work-related stress and mental ill health, lack of senior representation, the fact that they are heard and valued less.

Also - and this isn't schadenfreude, but... If you are an academic and have a disability where you can't work more than 8 hours a day, you are, and always have been, royally fucked because academic institutions DO NOT CARE about #disability and structual overwork. They never did.

Likewise if you are a BAME academic and are at best having to constantly work the second shift of shielding yourself from microaggressions, navigating cultural ignorance and tokenistic "opportunities" to make enemies and run yourself into the ground. WITHOUT lockdown added on.

What Covid-19 will no doubt produce is an #EDI crisis in Higher Education. The first thing to be dropped in economic straits is EDI. Scores of non-white, non-male academics will be thrown under the bus. This will happen, no doubt about it.

Plus, the more #precarious you are, the greater the force of the blow. Of course. Add any of these life conditions together, and what you get is EXPONENTIALLY more risk. Hence why female caregivers are struggling especially right now. But there are others too.

So please forgive me if, while I am sympathetic to the problems faced by the mainly white female academics with childcare responsibilities interviewed for the article, I am not reserving all of my energy for this issue alone.

I agree that there is injustice and inequality afoot, but it goes far deeper, and it will cost lives as well as careers.