Parental agency and social resilience in families during unexpected societal-level shocks: a case study of the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic

In this article, we examine strategies used by Finnish parents during the first wave of the COVID-19 lockdown by analysing qualitative data: the parents’ writings (n=93). In Nordic welfare societies, social institutions act as safety nets for families. However, this role was affected by the unexpected societal-level shock of the pandemic. We approach coping strategies from the theoretical perspective of social resilience combined with relational agency. The purpose is to study how parents’ resilience and agency were constructed in relation to family relationships, community and society, and whether time affected parental agency. Families in vulnerable situations – for example, parents with children with disabilities – were overloaded and had little faith in the future or the social security system. However, better-off families were empowered by social relationships, able to utilise the versatile societal safety net, and had faith in the future.