Mental Health, Caring, and Covid-19: Examining the Gendered Effects of Working from Home on Carers’ Mental Health

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic altered labour markets, specifically through working from home (WFH) policies, impacting mental health (MH), particularly among carers. This study uses the Healthy Ireland Survey to examine MH among employed carers in Ireland during the Covid-19 pandemic, focusing on gender differences. We find a quarter of Irish workers experienced MH declines, with significant impacts on carers and evident gender-specific effects. WFH appeared to alleviate worsening MH for female carers, though it remained at a high level. While WFH is not a panacea for carers' MH and wellbeing, it may help when designing gender-sensitive policy interventions to support them.