Has the Pandemic Been Tougher on Men or Women?

We all know it has been a tough year for millions of Americans and finding a way back has been tougher for women. A census bureau report shows 10 million moms living with school-age children in the U.S. were not working in January. That number is down by 1.4 million from a year ago. Many of the moms lost their jobs in the service industries. But the job losses came in a wide variety of sectors.

What does that 10 million number mean? The report says that’s more than one-third of all mothers living with school-age children.

Not all of the women lost their jobs. Many were forced to quit working to stay home with young children who would be attending school from home. The children could not be left alone while both parents went to work. The families had to make a decision about which parent would stay at home and in a large percentage of the cases, mom was the parent who left the work force. The numbers for April of last year show almost half of all moms of school-age children were not working. The number topped off at 45%. April was the month most school around the country switched to 100% virtual learning.

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This report asks the question “Were moms hit harder than dads during the pandemic” and the conclusion is “yes”. Here are the 2 big reasons the experts cite for the disparity:

1.Mothers are more likely to work in service and other jobs heavily impacted by pandemic closures.
2. Mothers carry a heavier burden, on average, of unpaid domestic household chores and child care, which, during a pandemic that draws everyone into the home, disrupts parents’ ability to actively work for pay.