COVID labour: Making a ‘livable’ life under lockdown

Drawing on qualitative longitudinal data from 38 families with children in the UK collected between May 2020 and June 2021, this article discusses the extra everyday labour which individuals experienced in going about their daily lives during COVID-19. In particular, we examine in detail the everyday practices of negotiating risk and caring for self and others within the context of the pandemic. We call this COVID labour – the work involved in living through and adjusting to a pandemic. We identify this as constituting three main aspects: seeking and interpreting information; assessing risk; and minimising risk. Like other forms of labour, it is stratified by gender, class and ethnicity. Overall, the analysis contributes to a greater understanding of everyday life ‘under lockdown’ for families with children, and how ‘livable’ lives are made under times of great risk.