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Covid-19 shock hits working mothers hard

Coronavirus Daily
Bloomberg

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Covid-19 shock hits working mothers hard

Working mothers are shouldering more than their fair share of the burden caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The differences, and the potential impact on the careers of these women, become stark when one takes into account the impact of closing schools. 

The main premise is obvious on its face. Studies abound showing that mothers perform more household chores than their spouses, even when both work. Now, research from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis finds that the coronavirus outbreak is exacerbating the situation.

The point of contention is closing schools, a controversial topic that remains in the news. Educators and politicians across the country are trying to balance the myriad benefits of getting kids back into classrooms amid evidence that the outbreak continues to spread exponentially, and may get worse if students start congregating in person in large numbers.

In areas that closed their schools early as the pandemic first swept through the U.S., working mothers were 53% more likely to take a leave of absence than working mothers in states that didn't close schools immediately. The closures had no effect on working fathers or on women who didn't have school-aged children, according to the report from Misty Heggeness, a visiting scholar at the bank's Opportunity and Inclusive Growth Institute.

Closing schools has exacerbated gender disparities in who does chores at home.

Photographer: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images North America

The title is apt: "Why Is Mommy So Stressed? Estimating the Immediate Impact of the Covid-19 Shock on Parental Attachment to the Labor Market and the Double Bind of Mothers."

The disparity didn't stop with leave, however. Working mothers who kept their jobs put in more hours as the outbreak deepened across the country, according to the report that analyzed monthly data from the Current Population Survey. Father's on average reduced their working hours.

"Overall, the pandemic appears to have induced a unique immediate juggling act for working mothers of school age children," the report concluded.

It's an act that may have to last. School districts across the country are now deciding whether to give in-person learning a shot this fall, even as the coronavirus outbreak continues to worsen. Several have already said they plan to offer online only options, while others have a blended approach of in-person and online classes.

Recent reports show that children may lose much of their educational gains from the previous year if remote learning continues. A research paper from McKinsey & Co. estimates an average of three to 11 months of academic loss will ensue if kids don't return to the classroom until January 2021. "The hurt could last a lifetime," according to the report.

It's true for their moms, too. — Michelle Fay Cortez

Track the virus

Latin America Remains a Hot Spot

Medical staff hold signs during a protest outside a medical clinic in San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

Photographer: Mauricio Palos/Bloomberg

Covid-19 infections are continuing to spread in many Latin American nations. Keep up to date on the evolution of the global pandemic in our interactive graphic.

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