Behavioral gender differences are reinforced during the COVID-19 crisis

TL;DR

This study analyzes how the COVID-19 pandemic intensified existing gender differences in communication, mobility, and daily routines using mobile phone data from Austria, revealing gender-specific behavioral adaptations during the crisis.

Contribution

It provides the first large-scale, data-driven analysis of gender-specific behavioral changes during COVID-19, highlighting how these differences are reinforced during crises.

Findings

Women made fewer but longer phone calls during lock-down.

Women restricted their mobility more than men during the pandemic.

Gender differences in behavior increased during the crisis, especially among young populations.

Abstract

Behavioral gender differences are known to exist for a wide range of human activities including the way people communicate, move, provision themselves, or organize leisure activities. Using mobile phone data from 1.2 million devices in Austria (15% of the population) across the first phase of the COVID-19 crisis, we quantify gender-specific patterns of communication intensity, mobility, and circadian rhythms. We show the resilience of behavioral patterns with respect to the shock imposed by a strict nation-wide lock-down that Austria experienced in the beginning of the crisis with severe implications on public and private life. We find drastic differences in gender-specific responses during the different phases of the pandemic. After the lock-down gender differences in mobility and communication patterns increased massively, while sleeping patterns and circadian rhythms tend to synchronize. In particular, women had fewer but longer phone calls than men during the lock-down. Mobility declined massively for both genders, however, women tend to restrict their movement stronger than men. Women showed a stronger tendency to avoid shopping centers and more men frequented recreational areas. After the lock-down, males returned back to normal quicker than women; young age-cohorts return much quicker. Differences are driven by the young and adolescent population. An age stratification highlights the role of retirement on behavioral differences. We find that the length of a day of men and women is reduced by one hour. We discuss the findings in the light of gender-specific coping strategies in response to stress and crisis.