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Who’s Watching The Kids? The Challenge Of Child Care During A Pandemic

Mimicked by her son Daniel (C), Paulina Mansz, a group fitness instructor, records a workout session for her clients while her other son Javier plays, as she continues to instruct from home in Arlington, Virginia.
Mimicked by her son Daniel (C), Paulina Mansz, a group fitness instructor, records a workout session for her clients while her other son Javier plays, as she continues to instruct from home in Arlington, Virginia.

Most Americans are staying home during the coronavirus pandemic, whether from school or from work. That means parents who are now working remotely have children who are learning remotely, and they’re faced with an important question: How will the time spent in quarantine affect their family’s future?

During the pandemic, women are shouldering an outsized amount of the burden of child care. Working women are currently more likely to lose their jobs than their male counterparts. And the impact on the earning potential of women could have severe long-term consequences.

As some states begin to reopen, many have not laid out specific plans for how to address the issue of child care.

How can we get women back into the workforce in the face of the pandemic? And how can we bring the child care system back from the brink?

Copyright 2020 WAMU 88.5

Emmanuel Johnson