Re-Emphasising the Future Family Role in ‘Care Economy’ as a Result of Covid-19 Pandemic Spillovers

Many things have changed in the family’s life since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some families suffered conflicts, instability, and even divorce due to the sudden devastating pressures and negative spillovers effects that came as a result of the strict lockdown or social distancing. Other families exploited the opportunities that this pandemic brought and established stronger ties and bonding using its positive spillovers. Therefore, this study aims to analyse the influence of COVID-19 pandemic on families and how it would emphasis better ‘care economy’ practices; taking Bahrain as a context. The study used a quantitative analysis applied to a sample of 345 responses. Research results showed that there is an improvement in social care dimensions as a result of the lockdown or the pandemic which affected the family relationships and increased its related measures. The implication of this paper emphasises the positive role of the ‘extended family’ and its ability to mitigate any coming international crisis similar to COVID-19. This paper sees that we have a ‘generation-defining moment’ where care economy can take a returning path that use family cohesion to play a major part in flattening any mental health risks due to future international emergencies.