Delta variant could leave working parents in limbo as school year starts back up
 CLOSING THE GAP Tuesday, September 7, 2021 
For many working parents, the start of the 2021 school year was supposed to feel like a "return to normal" as students went back into the classroom and employees returned to in-office work. But, with rising coronavirus cases due to the delta variant, many of these plans are quickly coming to a halt, putting parents back in a state of uncertainty about how to manage the demands of work life and child care.
Already, at least 90,000 students who returned to school in August have had to go back home and quarantine due to Covid-19 exposure from a classmate, according to an analysis by The Hill. Now, with more kids returning to the classroom in September, experts predict this number could rise even higher.
In addition to kids being sent back home to quarantine, many big-name companies like Apple, Alphabet, Lyft and Uber have announced new vaccine mandates for employees and have delayed their return-to-office plans to later this year or early 2022.
While a possible return to virtual schooling and remote work will impact both moms and dads, data shows that it's mothers who will take the biggest hit if schools and businesses have to close again or remain remote.
Over the past year and a half, a disproportionate number of women have left the workforce due to child-care demands or job loss as service sector businesses, where women are overwhelmingly represented, shut down.
Additionally, mothers have spent 20 more hours a week on housework and child care during the coronavirus pandemic than fathers, according to a 2020 Lean In and McKinsey & Co. report. As a result, 54% of working moms said they felt like they could not give their job 100% of their attention, compared with 43% of dads, according to the Pew Research Center.
As more schools attempt to reopen their doors amid the delta variant surge, Jasmine Tucker, director of research at the National Women's Law Center, says "it will be interesting to see what happens with parents" as uncertainty continues to rise about whether school and child care will be disrupted again.
Are you a working parent with school-aged children? If so, how are you feeling about the start of the new school year? Share your thoughts with us at askmakeit@cnbc.com.  More articles from Closing the Gap Millennial women want remote work, but fear they'll miss in-office opportunities According to a recent survey by theSkimm, a majority of millennial women view remote work as a priority. Still, many worry their career opportunities will be limited if they're not in office, and 40% said they feel more pressure to go back to the office if they know their male colleagues will be there. 'Trying to job hunt just felt almost comical': 3 moms on balancing job search and child care amid the pandemic For many working moms, who carry the brunt of caregiving and household chores, balancing the demands of work life, home life and ongoing child-care responsibilities has seemed like a nearly impossible task. How the first disabled and woman-owned NYSE floor broker is changing Wall Street In July 2021, Cynthia DiBartolo's firm, Tigress Financial Partners, became the first disabled and woman-owned floor broker to become a member of the New York Stock Exchange.
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