Unequal effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on researchers: evidence from Chile and Colombia

The adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on scientific work and outputs have been a growing global concern after significant and varied effects have been reported in the United States and Europe. Looking to gain insight into the impact of the pandemic in Latin America, we designed and administered an anonymous online survey to researchers based in Chile or Colombia. The survey was implemented in July–August 2020, as the continent was declared the epicentre of COVID-19, and total lockdowns were enacted in both countries. We aimed to understand the overall impact of this situation on research time, exploring unequal effects by discipline and individual characteristics. Results based on 3257 responses indicate that, after accounting by discipline, individual-level differences related to gender and care responsibilities explain the more significant gaps. Specifically, we find that being a woman is linked to higher reductions of time devoted to research, followed by a parenthood penalty for those with children under 12 at home. We also tested a possible relationship between time devoted to research and personal beliefs about gender roles. We found that women who support traditional gender roles and have children reduced their research time more than any other group. Also, men who support progressive views are more impacted than their conservative peers. We conclude that given the heterogeneous impact of the pandemic on researchers, universities and research centres should target specific populations when creating policies aiming to mitigate its effects.