Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Feminism: chat

Original poster

Lockdown and pandemic effects on mothers

10 replies

ArabellaScott · 05/02/2021 16:35

'The Women's Budget Group (WBG) and the Fawcett Society, which canvassed just over 1,000 parents, found twice as many mothers (15%) reported having to take time off work with no pay due to school closures or a self-isolating/sick child compared with fathers (8%).

And when it comes to who is responsible for childcare, 58% of mothers said "mostly me" compared with 23% of fathers.'

In other news, bears have been seen heading en masse to forested areas ...

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55935119

OP posts:
ISaySteadyOn · 05/02/2021 19:19

Well, yes. A lot of lockdown restrictions seem to rely very heavily on mothers being around to take up the slack.

SirSamuelVimes · 05/02/2021 19:52

Presumably the higher proportion of women already in SAHP roles will have an impact? I do the majority of the childcare at the moment because I'm a SAHM right now.

peak2021 · 05/02/2021 19:53

I'd have expected a wider gap in the figures. Which perhaps says something about how women are still viewed even 50+ years after feminism began in numbers in the UK, how much more progress there is to go.

TheJerkStore · 05/02/2021 20:25

All the research is showing that women's careers are being disproportionately disadvantaged due to the pandemic.
It's utterly depressing

Timeforabiscuit · 05/02/2021 20:31

Its only magnifying the gap which is already there. But fuck me this pandemic has been a hefty kick in the ovaries.

Original poster
ArabellaScott · 05/02/2021 20:44

I'm supposed to be working p/t while also homeschooling two children. It's not actually physically possible to do both, but I and others are getting it in the neck from teachers (who are presumably getting it in the heck from higher up) criticising me for not doing enough.

fuck me this pandemic has been a hefty kick in the ovaries.

Yep.

OP posts:
SirSamuelVimes · 05/02/2021 20:59

I am also interested in the increased mental load affecting women. My DH is a pretty hands on dad as far as he can be while working from home full time but he has no clue about any of the home school stuff, he's not the one emailing school about dd1's declining mental health or on Google meet calls with the family support worker, he's not the one worrying about dd2s slow weight gain / low centile, etc etc. I am so much more stressed than he is, on anti depressants, grinding my teeth, comfort eating, picking at my face - and I am aware I have it a lot easier than women who are trying to juggle paid work as well. I feel like my brain never stops.

Original poster
ArabellaScott · 07/02/2021 14:08

An article from the US here:

www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/02/04/parenting/covid-pandemic-mothers-primal-scream.html

OP posts:
Original poster
ArabellaScott · 07/02/2021 14:09

SirSam, I'm so sorry to hear that. Hopefully things will be easing up very soon. Please take care of yourself. Flowers Brew

OP posts:
Original poster
ArabellaScott · 07/02/2021 14:10

Also yes, mental load. Work/homeschooling/worrying about older people/never getting time along not even for a second. It's too fucking much.

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page