So how the F are we meant to work?

[Littlewhitedove2]

3 primary age kids. One parent left who won’t leave their house except the shops much less come anywhere near me or the kids. Inlaws in a similar position.
Primary school closed. It won’t be 2 weeks - it will be far longer than that.
Husband full time work.
I work part time as much as I can around school but not critical worker.
How do women work now?

"I don’t expect the government to do anything about it."

Why not? I do, it's their bloody job to run the country.

I totally agree the stress for working parents is immense and absolutely no nod to this but that is reflective of who is doing the decision making. Entitled, men with staff and wives that don’t work.

I see that some posters are still trotting out the idea that we can work flexibly i.e. before kids get up or when they go to bed. What impact will this have on my mental and physical health? There seems to be a suggestion that I will be fit and capable of working at 10pm because I have in fact been doing fuck all the rest of the day - not looking after children or home schooling. Shows what value is put on these activities.

I totally agree makingitupaswegoon.

I used to do that when my children were younger (and I was too!) and it's exhausting, but that was my choice and how I choose to organise my work (self-employed) and childcare, and I didn't work at that intensity for 48 weeks of the year.

It's also not possible to do if you have meetings/events during the working day that you have to attend.

It's crap all round.

@makingitupaswegoon

I see that some posters are still trotting out the idea that we can work flexibly i.e. before kids get up or when they go to bed. What impact will this have on my mental and physical health? There seems to be a suggestion that I will be fit and capable of working at 10pm because I have in fact been doing fuck all the rest of the day - not looking after children or home schooling. Shows what value is put on these activities.

Can’t agree enough with you. I’m lucky my and husbands employers allow us moving our working hours. I do 630-230 and husband does 1-9. He barely has meeting so it’s easy for him but I tend to have meetings with clients or calls where colleagues help me for my work or meeting where we agree next steps. Can’t see these happening at 10pm because I had to take care of my son. My mental health during lockdown was quite bad (I suffer already from anxiety) but not being able to have a break from 630am-9pm was really draining. People don’t realise that wfh doesn’t mean watching tv and doing house chores .. that it means WORKING. And that with some roles you can’t have some flexibility... it doesn’t matter whether you’re a mum or a dad ... it doesn’t happen that way.

It's a disgrace. Absolutely no provision for working parents unless you want to risk sending you child in as a keyworker child which many will be scared to do even if they qualify.

And until February at least