The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic has been felt by both male and female students in Open and Distance e-Learning (ODeL) and contact-based learning institutions in South Africa. However, young female students have been the most affected group. Societal norms that reinforce cultural practices which favour male students hinder the academic performance of young female students. Therefore, this study aims to explore the factors that affected the academic performance of young female students in an ODeL environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight female students between the ages of 21 and 35. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis. The findings revealed that the categories of factors that negatively affected their academic performance were a lack of family support, a lack of resources, and living in an overcrowded home. This study recommends that local municipalities in rural areas where these students reside should have at least one community hub centre that has working computers with consistent and stable access to the internet to enable female students to access information and their educational material.