THE FUTURE OF WORKING MOTHERHOOD

THE FUTURE OF WORKING MOTHERHOOD

Working moms might be superwomen, but they’ve been disproportionately affected by the pandemic and resulting recession. Since the start of the crisis, women in the US have lost nearly 7 million jobs. Among Black and Latinx women, roughly half do not have enough money for basic needs such as food and housing. And even women who do are struggling to be caregivers, employees and educators. In fact, about 40 percent of women are reporting symptoms of mental-health issues.

Because the pandemic has exposed the faults in childcare and paid leave while highlighting the wage gap, experts say the time is ripe for rethinking these institutions.

“We’re at a tipping point,” says Melissa Boteach, Vice President of Income Security and Child Care/Early Learning at the National Women’s Law Center. “We can move toward equity and gender justice, toward valuing care and mothers and workers. Or we can move toward allowing the deep inequities that the pandemic has laid bare to fester and get worse in ways that will hurt women first—but ultimately will hurt all of us.”

Can financial bailouts and modern approaches to childcare and paid leave help avoid losing three decades of