Üsküdar Üniversitesi Continuous Education Application and Research Center (ÜSEM), in cooperation with the Occupational Safety, Occupational Health and Environmental Health Application and Research Center (ÜSGÜMER) and MESKA Foundation, held the "Being a Woman in the Pandemic" seminar. The online seminar was moderated by ÜSEM Training Specialist Bengisu Altınten.
In the seminar, which started with the opening speech of Dr. Rüştü Uçan, Head of Occupational Health and Safety Department, Uçan touched upon the challenges of the pandemic process, stating that everyone struggled to adapt to this process. Uçan said that women were the most challenged during this period, noting that their workload increased.
Dr. Hacer Kayhan: “Women are key in every event”
The first speaker of the seminar, Dr. Hacer Kayhan from the Occupational Health and Safety Department, stated in her speech that when she first heard about the pandemic process, she thought it would be temporary like previous flus, but as the process progressed, she realized it would last much longer. Kayhan said; “The process developed so quickly that we couldn't go to school for three months after the first case. Initially, we were afraid because we didn't know the virus. We are still afraid now, but since we know the virus, we are experiencing a conscious fear. In this process, both the elderly and the young were affected differently. As parents, we also experienced great psychological distress. We did not have the luxury of cutting off the economy during this period. Because we have employees, and they earn their livelihoods this way. For this reason, we had to enter places where the pandemic was experienced and the virus was detected. We are trying to do most of the work online, but not every job can be done online. In some sectors, you need to be with people while they are in the field. The pandemic and business life are one scenario, and occupational health and safety is another. Most companies are now trying to maintain occupational safety in a 'well-being' state. During this process, we learned to live with the pandemic. I estimate that we will be in this process for another year. We must be careful and protect each other. Women are key in every event. We have a very big role to play in this process.”
Healthcare personnel İlknur Aktürk: “70% of healthcare workers are women”
The second speaker of the seminar was İlknur Aktürk, a healthcare professional at Üsküdar Üniversitesi. Aktürk, who is a nurse, stated that when the pandemic first started, they first identified what needed to be done. Aktürk said; “As healthcare professionals, we maintained a calmer demeanor. As healthcare professionals, it was difficult at first to explain this process to the public. However, it was our duty to explain it, and I believe we succeeded. 70% of healthcare workers are women. Our workload increased during this process. Because we were at home but also continued to work. What challenged us in this process was the psychological aspect of the work. My child was psychologically affected because he couldn't go to school during this period and developed resistance to online education. The child couldn't understand why his parents went to work but he couldn't go outside.”
Arzu Temizalan Uçar: “Working mothers were among the disadvantaged groups during the pandemic”
Arzu Temizalan Uçar, a Member of the Board of Trustees of the MESKA Foundation, stated that when the pandemic process began, she first felt the need to access accurate information. Uçar stated that as an institution, they immediately took action; “During the pandemic, we provided training to our staff on these issues. We sent reports on the action plan to our customers. We prepared educational posters. We created a case management guide and followed our COVID-19 positive personnel. During this process, we also tried to inform our elder family members and reduced our visits. The pandemic was a very disadvantageous situation for working mothers. Because they moved their work lives to their homes and, therefore, perhaps had to neglect their children.”
Nagihan Demir discussed the topic of education during the pandemic
Nagihan Demir, an Occupational Health and Safety student at Üsküdar Üniversitesi, provided information about her online education experience. Demir said; “We cannot achieve the same efficiency with online education as with face-to-face education. There are disruptions in the lesson flow due to systemic problems and internet issues. I believe that awareness has increased since the pandemic began.”