Challenges in Marital Relationships During Pandemic Lockdown

The pandemic wreaked havoc not only on the physical health of the people but also on their mental well-being. The most affected were the married couples and children.

Due to the uncontrollable spread of covid-19, a lockdown was imposed to stop its spread. This was a boon to some professionals who had the flexibility of a work-from-home option. For most, it was a dream come true as it gave them the benefits of work flexibility, high productivity, escape from traveling or traffic hassles, saving on travel or fuel, and a good work-life balance. Apart from these, spending quality time with loved ones was the best out of the lot. Couples usually planned date nights at home, took a lot of pictures, and flaunted them on their social media. However, over time, along with advantages also came disadvantages such as isolation, distractions at home, work overload, and irregular mealtimes that lead to work-life imbalance. This led to boredom, and irritation due to the lack of personal space.

In fact, personal space or me-time is something that is imperative for all. The partner must value their significant other’s personal space. One should stop the blame game and just agree to disagree.

Findings of a systematic review on how marriages survived during the COVID-19 pandemic reported that marital relationships worsened during the lockdown phase. Many couples who had children reported loneliness, frequent arguments, and so on. However, couples without children reported to have improved relationships during lockdown. This indeed is like a silver lining on a dark cloud.

Women were the most hit during the lockdown...

A study found that about 22.5% of married women were overburdened with household chores and had to work for around 70 hours every week. Most of the time women felt trapped inside their own homes without any breathing space. For working women, working from home was an add-on burden to their usual household chores.

The rise in domestic violence...

Worldwide, domestic violence incidences increased during the lockdown. Practitioners in Australia reported about a 42% increase in new violence incidents in women, in Europe, a 60% increase in emergency calls related to violence against women by their partners, in Peru, a 48% increase in helpline calls related to domestic violence were reported during the lockdown.

In India, between 24 March and 15 June 2020, around 4847 women approached 19 women’s organizations for help due to domestic violence during the lockdown. According to ‘Akshara, a Mumbai-based NGO (non-governmental organization) women had to endure physical, sexual, and mental abuse by men in their families. Due to lockdown restrictions, women were mostly confined to their homes and had no access to help from outside.

Marriage is a physical, emotional, and spiritual union of two individuals, mostly surrounded by household problems. These household problems as best resolved immediately and one should bounce back to normalcy or else they may lead to prolonged conflicts. Strategies such as open communications, mutual respect, or taking professional help such as counseling from a marriage counselor in times of crisis can help save the relationship from crumbling.