Swiss lockdown especially stressful for women and students

Three EPFL studies on the effects of Switzerland's first COVID-19 lockdown have just been published. The research was based on a survey of Swiss residents carried out during the confinement, and illustrate how the restrictions caused higher stress levels and changed the way people view housing. The Swiss federal government put the country in lockdown from 16 March to 19 June 2020 in order to stem the rapid increase in COVID-19 infection rates. Three EPFL studies examined how Swiss residents experienced the lockdown in terms of psychological stress and their priorities for housing. The findings show that 60% of respondents changed their definition of the ideal home, and that women and students suffered the most psychologically - indicating that policymakers should pay closer attention to the needs of these groups should lockdowns be required in the future. According to the first study, appearing in Frontiers in Psychology , Switzerland's lockdown was hardest for students, women who found themselves juggling work-from-home demands with household tasks, and people living alone. Among the people surveyed, the increase in stress levels was 42% higher among women than men, and 29% higher among students than the actively employed, unemployed and retired. These findings are consistent with those from neighboring countries, even though the lockdowns in France and Germany were more severe. This shows that inequality is still an issue when it comes to housing, and that this inequality is having a real, negative impact on people's well-being No difference between urban and rural areas