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In Asia, the pandemic has thrown some of the best-laid plans for gender parity off course. In other ways, it provided an unexpected chance for women to perform under pressure.   © Illustration by Priyanka Karyekar
The Big Story

Success and suffering: The pandemic's burden on working women

In Japan, Philippines and more, some flourish while others fall further behind

Nikkei staff writers | East Asia

TOKYO -- Shared tragedy is often seen as a great equalizer. But the coronavirus pandemic has only emphasized the yawning gap between the fortunate and the left-behind.

Technology adoption has barreled into the future at warp speed, assuring a comfortable lockdown for the upper tiers of society -- but an increasingly pressured underclass is carrying the burden of our relentlessly online existence. And as office life has given in to flexibility (a gift for those bound by Asia's rigid work cultures), others have been left at the mercy of poor internet connections and piling household responsibilities -- not to mention the stifling claustrophobia, and even the dangers, of isolation at home.

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