Factors Influencing Women's Perceptions of Sense of Being, Becoming, and Belonging During the COVID-19 Crisis

Abstract

Background: Women faced enormous burdens during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to specific conditions in homes during social isolation, women's occupational choices were limited by environmental factors. In a crisis, it is important to understand the human experience of what they do to meet the basic needs of Being, Becoming, and Belonging. This experience can reflect life participation and occupational wholeness during a pandemic. This research aimed to investigate the factors related to women's perceived experiences of Being, Becoming, and Belonging during social isolation/distancing.Methods: This cross-sectional study's participants were 1,168 women from Arab countries, France, Germany, Greece, India, Iran, and Spain, recruited using snowball sampling in a larger survey of the COVID-19 pandemic. They completed an internet-based questionnaire with questions extracted from the Occupational Wholeness Questionnaire. This questionnaire also included demographic information, perceived stress, and physical health.Results: Women with postgraduate education had a more positive sense of Being and Belonging. Women over 45 showed a higher negative sense of Being and Becoming. Stress was associated with the sense of Becoming.Conclusion: Older women experience social isolation more negatively. Conversely, women with postgraduate education are more likely to have a positive experience in such a situation. We conclude that an occupational imbalance resulting from a crisis may also positively affect life.

Keywords

• pandemics
• psychological factors
• psychological stress
• women’s health