Women in PhD programs reported more distress and disruptions than male counterparts early in the pandemic

Doctoral work, by its nature a journey into uncharted territory, can be an uphill, lonesome slog at the best of times. Throw in a global pandemic’s uncertainty and isolating lockdowns – including no access to labs, libraries or even fieldwork – and it is little wonder that doctoral students were sending out distress signals. Recently, a team of Quebec researchers conducted an exploratory study on the effects the pandemic had on doctoral students. They discovered distress was much higher among female doctoral students, who also reported higher rates of disruption in their research progress. Due to these findings, the researchers recommend that universities reconsider the equal division of resources among PhD students during crises.

Dr. Nathan Hall (McGill Educational and Counselling Psychology) is a co-author of the study that surveyed more than 700 PhD students. Read the full story, published in University Affairs Magazine.