TradeExperettes survey of women trade professionals on the impact of COVID-19 on their lives

Maria V. Sokolova is a consultant at The International Trade Centre, working on the implementation of trade agreements and trade information transparency. Leila Aridi Afas is the Director of International Public Policy at TOYOTA.

 The constant stream of COVID-19 coverage is overwhelming. It makes our minds spiral in different directions without a clear understanding of whether the sacrifices we are making are indeed “flattening the curve” and minimizing the impact of the virus.

We are the TradeExperettes -- female experts on trade from all parts of the world-- and we are all affected by the global pandemic. Who isn’t?! We wondered how similar our experiences were in these unprecedented times, and decided to undertake a survey to find out.   

If you are thinking: Am I the only one stuck at home alone? Am I the only one whose boss decided that I should be on the clock 24/7?  Am I the only one who has difficulties adapting to new “social distancing” measures? Am I the only one whose kids’ attention span has shrunk to 30 seconds as their minds and muscles atrophy from lack of stimulation and activity? Am I the only one who worries about the economic and social fallout of the measures taken to stop the spread of the deadly virus? Ask no more!

At the beginning of April, we asked our fellow TradeExperettes a number of questions aimed at painting a picture of how each of us are affected by the coronavirus outbreak. We had a total of 41 respondents from 17 countries.  The results show that most TradeExperettes (80%) did not change living arrangements for the pandemic, while the rest of the Experettes have moved into more “crowded” living arrangements with parents, partners, ex-partners, or had children move back to the “family base.”

Wherever located, there are TradeExperettes who believe that they are less efficient in these times. Among those TradeExperettes who believe that they are more efficient (12 of 41 surveyed, or 29%), 7% have the same or higher amount of work during this period, while the rest have, on average, one-third the amount of their typical workload. Table 1 shows these results, dividing Experettes geographically from the global North and global South. 

For the TradeExperettes included in our survey, Figure 1 illustrates the amount of immediate work lost. Twenty-five per cent of TradeExperettes have the same amount of work or more, while others have experienced a drop in work compared to pre-pandemic levels.

With regard to confinement measures implemented by many countries, most of us are willing to bite the bullet for a while, regardless of the reduced workload or loss of personal freedom – as long as the sacrifices are temporary. Figure 2 shows responses on how long TradeExperettes would be ok with continuing working from home. 

Among the work/efficiency factors we surveyed, the one scoring the most negative is the loss of connection we feel during in-person meetings. In general, the survey indicated that virtual meetings did not get longer, but eight respondents (20%) have to do additional reporting about their work from home, and for 50% (20) of surveyed TradeExperettes, their supervisors or clients expect them to be more accessible (available outside of traditional working hours).  More than half of those surveyed (51%) found that coordination with their team (and administrative support) is efficient and not impacted by shutdown orders, while just over one-quarter (26%) found that the opposite is true. 

Overall, there is no single picture illustrating how TradeExperettes are impacted by the pandemic. Instead, their responses reflect a gallery of paintings. Summarizing the different efficiency/time questions asked, the overall positive/negative results vary significantly.  Some of us have seen a boost in efficiency with the reduced work hours, while other TradeExperettes have more time, but are using it less efficiently. These results are reported in Figure 3, with the x axis showing the pandemic’s effect on time management, and the y axis showing the effect on overall productivity.

Furthermore, the majority of TradeExperettes with school age children do not believe that schools are providing sufficient instruction via online learning, while 33% answered that it is sufficient.  However, those who engaged in home schooling indicate that they do not have an equal split of responsibilities with their partners, as seen in Figure 4. 

Nevertheless, there are many things we are grateful for during this time. 

We appreciate having more time with our families and notice the small things and moments that we took for granted before but have found more appreciation for in this new-found version of life. We can slow down and focus more on these simple pleasures and less on a consumption-driven lifestyle.

We’ve also had time to enjoy hobbies. We no longer waste time on lengthy commutes to work, we manage to participate in more online events and our colleagues and management are more understanding of our domestic situations and appreciative of our efforts. 

Despite all this, we are frequently worried.  We worry about not being able to perform our tasks as planned.  We worry about our colleagues, friends, and families getting stuck somewhere because of travel constraints.  We worry about how we will ever return to “normal” – whatever that will be.   Teleworking is also a major challenge with the need to balance it with child care, home schooling and household chores.  The extra-long Zoom calls take a toll on our capacity to concentrate and mental rest. These unusual circumstances often create uncertainty about practically everything that matters and can lead to anxiety, whether expressed or not.

Moreover, many are deeply concerned about the lack of competent leadership in our countries or within multilateral institutions. Seeing some ignore the imposed measures also causes discomfort.  Such a selective approach to mitigating the pandemic undoubtedly reduces the efficiency of the measures being imposed by governments and may, in fact, prolong the historic pandemic.  It also has the potential to exacerbate other crises facing the world such as rising nationalistic tendencies, natural disasters, economic and environmental challenges, and even violence against women and children.

Across the globe, some are also concerned about income equality, with some people having the luxury to social distance while others having to persevere in overcrowded housing or as essential workers.  These times make us worry about the societies we live in. But the ignorance, prejudice, racism and nationalism stand against the many daily stories   of people caring for and about one another.  The everyday heroes give us hope. 

Amidst the chaos, disinformation has spread as rapidly as the virus, there is one silver lining that brings us hope. And the lining shines clearly within our TradeExperettes community. Through our survey, we have found that we are all impacted in very different ways, but we also share a commonality of experience.