How Mothers Bounce Back In The Workplace And At Home

DESPITE THEIR IMPORTANCE TO THE HOME, WORKPLACE, AND ECONOMIES, MOTHERS WERE STRUGGLING EVEN BEFORE THE PANDEMIC TO EFFECTIVELY COMBINE WORK AND FAMILY DUE TO A DEFICIT IN CHILDCARE RESOURCES, SOCIETAL INFRASTRUCTURE, AND WORKPLACE SUPPORT. THE REOPENING COULD OFFER A FRESH START.

It has been a rough and long 15 months for mothers everywhere, many of whom have had to roll up of their sleeves to do the hard work of raising their family, building businesses, keeping a part-time or full-time employment, caring for an elderly person in combination with battling infertility or an illness, nurturing a pregnancy, suffering a job loss, and so much more. 

In March and April, 2020, some 3.5 million mothers living with school-age children left active work – either shifting into paid or unpaid leave, losing their jobs, or exiting the labor market all together, according to the Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics. In fact, 1-in-2 (45%) mothers of school-age children were out of the labor force last April (2020). The two biggest reasons for this shift to unpaid work were that mothers are more likely to work in service-oriented jobs which were heavily impacted by the pandemic and that they bore the heavier burden of caregiving responsibilities such as housework and childcare. The truth is that mothers have always worked in a V-shaped pattern, a down-and-up-cycle, due to gender inequality at home and in the workplace, that affects promotion, advancement, and earnings. 

It is no surprise that mothers make this decision to leave the workforce to care for their children. Last Spring, before the pandemic, 98% of parents through the Bright Horizons Modern Family Index research said they have experienced burnout. The latest Motherly State of Motherhood Survey found that 93% of mothers have experienced burnout due to the pandemic. As a working mother of three during the early stages of the pandemic, I found myself stretched too thin on both sides of work and family. After speaking to over thousands of mothers in the Mother Honestly channels, a platform I started in 2018 to support women in building better careers and happier homes where we reach over 300,000 mothers across the United States alone, it was clear that the government and employers weren’t doing enough to support working families in the pandemic. While employers were suggesting that parents took all the time they needed on a corporate level, the reality was that managers, mostly men, were required to meet quarterly targets at all cost, and the majority of men retreated into their home office while women shouldered a larger portion of the caregiving responsibilities during working hours. As the pandemic roared on, it became clear that working mothers couldn’t possibly do both – successfully work and be the parent they want to be – effectively. Thousands of mothers flocked to our Caregiving and Work Summit alongside amazing authors, speakers,entrepreneurs and more such as Eve Rodksy – author of Fair Play, Sarah Jane Sacchetti – CEO of Cleo, Robin, VP at Unilever, Stephanie at Google, Sarah Lafleur, CEO of M.M.Lafleur who birthed a child and welcomed twins via surrogacy during the pandemic while running a multi-million dollar company. To say it was an honor interviewing Sarah, during the lockdown would be a huge understatement. 

THE ROLE OF MOTHERS AND THEIR PARTNERS

While we cannot ignore the approximately 13% of single mothers who are going through this pandemic alone, many of whom are women of color, however, one major effect of the pandemic has been the role women play at home especially in heterosexual relationships, where women continue to shoulder another full-time shift or more on the homefront while men complete only a tiny fraction of housework. In fact this unequal distribution of unpaid labor dubbed the “shadow pandemic” has reinforced gender roles during the pandemic, setting women’s equality back by another generation. Until women stop the routine daily grind of doing housework, and men start doing chores around the home, we will never reach gender parity. According to Eve Rodsky, author of Fair Play, the best way to divide the housework is for the individual responsible for the task to hold all the cards – which includes conception, planning and execution. Women spend more time focused on managing the first two phases prior to handing off the execution phase leaving them mentally exhausted and tired. 

Household chores continue to impact a mother’s producivity at work, affecting her ability to get deep work done with similar focus and intensity as men. “We must begin by treating all time as equal,” says Eve Rodsky. Men shouldnt feel comfortable sitting on the couch while their spouse pulls the second-shift through midnight. 

THE ROLE OF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION

American families continue to bear the brunt of a fractured society that places capitalism above working families and their well-being. Biden’s proposal calls for having low-and-middle income families pay no more than 7% of their income on childcare for children younger than age 5. Parents earning up to 1.5 times the median income in their state would qualify. The President also plans to increase the minimum wage for children caregivers up to $15 an hour from a typical $12.24 rate they earned in 2020. These changes will positively impact a few working parents, a down-payment on the upcoming plans this administration has for working families. However, this is still not nearly enough. Working families need paid family leave for miscarriages, stillbirths, childbirths, adoptions, bereavement and so much more. Only 20 percent of private sector workers had access to paid family leave in 2020 to care for a new child or a family member. Low-wage workers are less likely to have access to different forms of paid leave. For example, just 8 percentof workers in the bottom wage quartile—who on average earn less than $14 an hour—had access to paid family leave in 2020. Black and Hispanic workers are less likely than white, non-Hispanic workers to have access to paid family and medical leave. Paid family leave offers a clear advantage to the United States. Paid family leave offers economic security to families during significant life events and gives employees dealing with such events the peace of mind they are not in jeopardy of losing their jobs. Research shows that paid family leave has a positive effect on infant and maternal health, reducing rates of infant mortality and stress and depression for mothers. Paid family leave can also promote gender equality if it takes into account the importance of both parents’ time with children.

Another important federal benefit that will support mothers is Universal Child Care from birth to age five. According to Elizabeth Warren, “in the wealthiest country on the planet, access to affordable and high-quality child care and early education should be a right, not a privilege reserved for the rich.” The childcare crisis has worsened since the pandemic, creating childcare deserts across the country. According to the Center for American Progress “millions of American workers, hoping to get back to their jobs once the public health risk has sufficiently decreased, will not be able to do so until they have safe, reliable, and affordable child care.”

As the economy reopens, the Biden Administration must signal its support for working families by providing a pathway to paid family leave and universal childcare. In the interim, the administration can create policies to encourage businesses to institute family-friendly policies at all levels of their organization.

THE ROLE OF EMPLOYERS

Employers experienced first-hand the impact of caregiving on their employees during the covid-19 pandemic. As economies begin to reopen, it is important for employers to continue to seek ways to support families through enhanced family-friendly policies such as paid parental leave, paid sick leave, flexible work arrangements and access to affordable, quality childcare. Also important is the role of various leaders within the organization when it comes to family-friendly interactions. The ability to display empathy and provide support as outlined within the policies of the company will ensure that employees feel safe, seen, and heard. 

Employers can look to organizations like Villo, Cleo, Villyge, UrbanSitter, Sittercity, Bright Horizons, and more for workplace solutions for working parents.