Every year we celebrate Mother’s Day and show our appreciation for mothers everywhere, in all shapes and forms. Their immeasurable contributions shape the lives and futures of our next generations.

 

This year, as the COVID-19 pandemic and containment measures drastically change everyday life, moms and all caregivers have taken on tremendous added burdens. In many cases, they continue to work either from home or risk their safety to maintain the essential work that keeps our communities running.

 

As governments start building recovery plans for the COVID-19 economic fallout, UN Women and the International Labour Organization released a new publication, “The impact of marriage and children on labour market participation”, which provides important insights into the distribution of domestic work and caregiving responsibilities within various types of households, and takes a critical look at women’s participation in the labour force around the world.

 

Extra care work at home

Globally, women do three times as much unpaid care work as men, and moms around the world are often the main caregivers in their homes.

 

The #COVID19 pandemic is placing a greater burden on women who carry the bulk of care and domestic work at home.

 

It’s on all of us to split responsibilities at home between everyone! pic.twitter.com/TxaU1s26ju

 

— UN Women (@UN_Women) March 31, 2020

As COVID-19 containment measures keep families home, the burden of care at home has drastically increased.

 

Moms and caregivers are taking on a lot more responsibility for household chores and care of children and family, including by guiding their children’s online learning.

 

Men are reporting an increase in unpaid domestic and care work, but the lion’s share of work at home continues to fall on women and girls.

 

Change starts with each and every one of us, in our homes. Share the care!

 

Overcoming discrimination in the labour force

Globally, prime-working-age women are least likely to be in the labour force when they are living with a partner and young children.

 

The #COVID19 outbreak is overloading the health and care systems, placing a greater burden on women who carry the bulk of care and domestic work at home.

 

Find out more: https://t.co/uGwOPAkyHD pic.twitter.com/PtK1rl8nNW

 

— UN Women (@UN_Women) March 28, 2020

New statistics show that when children are present in a relationship, women’s work-force participation drops drastically. Because of gender norms and societal assumptions that women will take on care responsibilities and men will provide for the family, women leave paid work. Lone mothers are more likely than the average working-age woman to be in the labour force because they need to provide for themselves and their children.

 

Worldwide, women still earn less than men for work of equal value, and as women become mothers, the income and opportunity gaps widen. By taking on the lion’s share of unpaid care work, and especially childcare, mothers around the world miss out on full-time paid work with decent wages, benefits and pension, as well as leisure time.

 

To even the playing field and keep options open for moms and all caregivers, we urgently need policies that provide paid leave to both mothers and fathers, enable access to affordable and high-quality care for children and older persons, and collect more and better data on families and work.

 

Doing essential work

From farming to first-response services and everything in between, women and mothers are playing an outsized role in keeping their communities safe and resilient in the face of COVID-19.

 

Women are at the front lines of the health and care response to #COVID19, but in the background of decision making.