Women are in charge of the childcare

Women are still in charge of childcare in the midst of a pandemic. This argument assumes women, as they are more so in charge of child-related responsibilities, will then be more impacted when attempting to work from home. Societal expectations surrounding housework and childcare have long been expected to be fulfilled by mothers. The expectation that women are in charge of childcare has caused working mothers to be more greatly impacted than fathers by coronavirus lockdowns. Despite studies showing fathers taking more responsibility towards childcare during lockdown, evidence still shows the task falls disproportionately to women. This stems from a societal expectation and sense of responsibility, as well as a reality that the current economic climate could be categorized as a “she-cession.” ^[1] A study found that mothers were 23% more likely than fathers to have temporarily or permanently lost their jobs during the crisis.^[2] Mothers were 47% more likely to have permanently lost their job or quit. Therefore, formerly working mothers may now be unemployed and running households, or currently working mothers may be making the effort simultaneously.