How to manage both a kid and a job during a pandemic
Before Covid-19 hit, being a working parent was hard enough. The US, as well as many other developed nations, has long since struggled with the cost and availability of daycare. Now, many daycares are shuttered, and not all jobs can be done from home.
The result is that 865,000 women have left the workforce—four times the rate of men. While not every woman who has left the workforce has done so because of a child, parenting is a driving factor behind these losses.
With no where to turn, many women are forced to stay home due to a combination of job losses and lack of available care. Unfortunately, there are very few practical options available to hard hit families.
Working from home
Working from home is an option that allows a parent to stay home with remote learning children while at the same time still working. This has problems of its own—younger kids don’t often know that a parent is working and may not understand that they can’t simply walk in. Other children, such as infants, need round the clock care and feeding or changing them is necessary throughout the day.
Luckily, most companies are relatively understanding of this. Those that haven’t been have come under fire on social media.
Gig workforce
The other option is to either start your own home based business, or join the gig economy. Many parents are taking huge paycuts to do just that---exchanging more money for better flexibility. Even then, a lot of gig work isn’t readily available anymore, with fewer people interested in ride sharing programs or dog walking due to very similar problems.
Other career changes
Determined parents have also jumped careers in other ways, such as taking night shifts to their co-parents day shift, or switching careers specifically for flexibility or the ability to work from home. While this isn’t an option for everyone, it’s a possibility that has to be considered in today’s turbulent market.
Changes in business
Some companies are responding to the problems associated with Covid-19 and offering real and effective change. This includes allowing parents to bring kids into the office when working from home isn’t possible, offering more flexible hours, and even paid family leave.
Some companies, such as Target, have even offered child care options of their own, to try and help stabilize working parents.
These businesses are relatively few. Big tech companies such as Google and Microsoft have stepped up, as well as Pinterest. Otherwise, few companies have been able to change to help out working parents.
Working Parents have never had it harder
Until business or politics change in such a way that working parents are considered, the pressures placed on working parents will continue. If we don’t, this “shesession” will erase some of our best and brightest workers. We need diversity in our businesses to help with innovation and growth. Without it, the return of the economy could be slow or very limited.