Unseen Roles of Women during COVID-19: How the Echo of an “Mummy, I Love You” from a Six-Year-Old during a Zoom Meeting Redefined Mothering

Abstract

I was in my last year of my doctoral studies, my children’s school plans were scheduled, and I had just begun a new research collaboration when COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. My roles as a mother, researcher, and educator, which once segregated by time and place, collided when our university closed. Every aspect about each role merged, and my professional and personal world collided in an online meeting. This is a visual essay consisting of photographs, artwork, and poetry collected during the pandemic as I journeyed through my doctoral journey at home. I invite the reader to read my spoken words aloud and allow your experiences and emotions as a mother(parent), a researcher, and educator to permeate the space around you.