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The modern mom -

More women than ever are balancing their family life with full-time jobs. In 2016, 70% of women in the US with a child under the age of 18 were working outside the home.

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The primary carers -

In countries all around the world, women still shoulder the bulk of the child care responsibilities in their home. Studies show that moms spend twice the amount of time on housework and child care as dads.

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Workplace bias - Working mothers have always dealt with bias in the workplace, with employers frustrated at their need to tend to their children, seemingly making them less reliable than male employees.

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The ideal worker - An ideal worker is someone who is devoted to their job and always available. Unfortunately this is impossible if you’ve got children to look after. Mothers tend to be the ones on call for emergencies.

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Job loss and instability - The pandemic has brought layoffs, furloughs, and pay cuts. Approximately one in two households has been affected, causing widespread financial strain.

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Gender pay gap - Women are paid less than men on average at the best of times, but the pandemic has disproportionately affected sectors with high numbers of female workers. In addition, female workers are more likely to be laid off than their male counterparts.

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No backup plan - Considering that women are less likely to have sufficient emergency savings due to their lower income, this is a dire time for many mothers out there.

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The benefits of work -

Most of us dread the sound of our alarm clocks in the morning, forcing us to drag ourselves out of bed for a day of work. However, employment has a clear positive impact on mental health.

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Mental health and unemployment - Even in normal times, unemployment was clearly linked to depression and suicidal ideation.

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Less support -

In these times of social distancing and isolation, it’s much harder for mothers to receive at-home help from friends or relatives, and social interactions are very limited.

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Pressure on relationships -

Financial stress is already one of the main causes of conflict in relationships, but the additional support needed and the difficult circumstances are adding fuel to the fire in many homes.

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Increased depression among mothers -

A recent study reviewed the experiences of women with children between the ages of five and eight early in the pandemic. As expected, the rates of emotional distress were staggering. Almost 44% of the participants displayed symptoms of depression.

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The struggle is real -

For those who are still working but trying to juggle teleworking alongside homeschooling and overseeing their kids’ virtual schooldays, it’s coming to a boiling point.

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Work days are losing structure - Working hours have increased since the start of remote work, particularly for mothers. Balancing back-to-back work calls with child care often means a standard eight hour day of work is now spread over 10-12 hours.

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Huge increase in home labor -

A survey performed in May 2020 of parents in the US, UK, France, Germany, and Italy showed that families were spending an extra 27 hours per week on child care, education, and household chores. That’s almost the equivalent of a second job.

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Women carrying the load -

Similar to pre-pandemic norms, it was found that women tended to do 15 hours more of this extra domestic labor than men in two-parent households.

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Women leaving work -

In the US, the back to school routine in September was not like any other year. Virtual school was to continue and, as a result, many parents took a leave of absence or actually quit their jobs to manage this new responsibility. More than four times the amount of women left the workforce compared to men.

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Reducing working hours -

In the UK, one in six working mothers had to reduce their work hours in order to better manage their child care responsibilities.

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Unmanageable lifestyle -

Many argue that women workers have never been prioritized and now it’s really showing. Some women get up at 4 am to get work done before their kids wake up. Others have to go out to work, risking their health, and leaving their young children at home unsupervised attending virtual school.

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Disproportionate impact -

These particular circumstances are more prevalent in Black and Latinx communities. In the US, only 20% of Black workers and 17% of Latinx workers have the option to work at home. That’s compared to 30% of white workers and 37% of Asian-American workers.

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This situation is nothing new -

Sociologist Caitlyn Collins says that these circumstances are nothing new. Women have always struggled with the mammoth task of balancing work and child care. The pandemic has simply made this more visible.

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The same old story for low-income families - Low-income families have always lacked support and lived in a never-ending cycle of trying to put food on the table, keep a roof over everyone’s heads, and find someone to watch the kids while they go to work to pay for it all.

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The impact is far-reaching - The difference now is that even advantaged families are experiencing the same struggles. Many have lost jobs or can’t continue to work due to new child care responsibilities, and outside support has been cut off due to the risks involved.

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It doesn't have to be this way -

There are things that individuals can do to support the mothers around them, but on a larger scale it may be time to acknowledge that this impossible situation is not inevitable. It should not necessarily fall to women to reconcile work and family commitments.

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More compassion from employers -

Employers need to be more flexible with working parents and allow them to attend to their responsibilities.

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Equal flexibility for fathers - As it’s often women who reduce their hours at work or lose their jobs due to their parental commitments, greater flexibility for fathers in their working hours would allow them to provide more support and create a better balance.

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Recognition -

A change in public policy regarding working parents and child care is essential to end the exhausting cycle. What if child care wasn’t just invisible, unpaid labor anymore? What if child care was a right?

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An age-old fight -

Women have been fighting for decades to make child care a public resource, similar to public schools. Now is the time for change.

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Hang in there -

Many mothers are feeling like they can’t sustain this lifestyle much longer. If you’re feeling this way and struggling with burnout, you’re not alone.

(Psychology Today) (JSTOR) (WBUR) (Times of India)

For tips on learning how to better manage stress, follow this link.

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