This article is written by Hanin Odeh, Apolitical Insider Fellow. This article is edited by Yvonne Rinkart, Apolitical Insider Fellow and UK civil servant.

While many governments are making plans for re-opening sectors to reboot the economy, we find that nurseries, kindergartens and elementary schools either remain closed or open last.

This is causing a high sense of anticipation and anxiety for working mothers on how this phase of the ‘new normal’ will playoff for their career advancement, ability to juggle household and job duties and find new support mechanisms. To reflect the experiences of mothers challenged by this situation, I will be sharing quotes from mothers I spoke with in Jordan.

“In addition to the stress, anxiety, sleep deprivation and other symptoms of low mental wellbeing during three months of home quarantine, I, certainly did not receive the news of resuming work, very well. I am considering extending my stay at home to look after my children, but whether this will be doable or acceptable by my employer, I am not sure.” says Dina.

Covid-19 accentuates the burdens on working moms

Before the pandemic, this inequitable sharing of responsibility between working mothers and their partners undoubtedly existed.

We are just witnessing its magnitude now. Covid-19 certainly has brought to surface many issues that were on the backburner, or it has accentuated the urgency of taking action and prioritizing those issues. Gender bias at home and work is definitely one of them. Women, and particularly working mothers, have borne the brunt of the quarantine. The Washington Post and the World Economic Forum, report that between parents, the mothers were doing most of the household duties, caring for the children and attending to their online tutoring. Women spend roughly twice as many hours on looking after children than men do. Adding to that, they were also working: either online, such as teachers, or on the job (on duty) such as frontline workers, for example, nurses.

Do daycares have the capacity to operate safely? Do the new enforced measures consider the mental, emotional and psychosocial wellbeing of young children?

Additionally, prior to the enforced homestay, there were a few practical solutions performing as support systems: daycare, grandparents, or schools. Today, these options ceased to exist in light of Covid-19, when many nurseries are shut down, and interacting with the elderly (grandparents) poses a health risk. Again, working mothers are faced with additional systematic challenges, which force them to either consider different jobs, quit their jobs, or have to exhaust their paid annual leave until they are able to find alternative solutions.

“I really hope to be able to resume work, without feeling guilty that I have let my children down in times they need me most, and without failing the increased demands of the job to compensate for the months that passed” – Farah, a mother of two toddlers, says.

Is opening daycares good enough?

In some countries, opening plans did consider re-opening daycares, as a way to let mothers resume their work. However, with varying measures of safety and protection, and with measures that address only part of the problem such as limiting the age and number of children able to attend daycare, parents are finding themselves in another dilemma. Do the daycares have the capacity to operate safely? Do the new enforced measures consider the mental, emotional and psychosocial wellbeing of young children?

Workplaces need to provide flexible working hours/shifts for all parents with children, regardless of gender

I am a parent with a similar challenge: Even if the daycare of my two-year-old son has opened, I have a five-year-old who has no place to go. Moreover, my youngest is not comfortable with the all-time mask-wearing of his teacher. My ability to go back to work under these circumstances would not be viable.

It is timely to look into practical solutions that provide a holistic outlook and a conducive environment for mothers to return to work.

Considerations to ensure a safe job come back for working moms

1. Encouraging a new norm to the workplace

During home quarantine, fathers got to witness first-hand primary caregiving. Workplaces can take advantage of this shift and encourage this behaviour through policies to normalize them. This can be achieved through the provision of family leaves for working dads. Moreover, workplaces need to provide flexible working hours/shifts for all parents with children, regardless of gender. Providing incentives to organizations that apply such policies, and communicating success stories can help expedite others to follow suit.

2. Fasttrack the caregiving issue

There needs to be a simultaneous action between the re-opening of workplaces and the offering of daycare options for employees’ children until schools and daycares are open again. In Jordan, for example, policymakers need to fast track a lingering policy of having daycares within more organizations — even without a pandemic, as well as invest in having an adequate number of nurseries and pre-schools in general.

3. Children’s wellbeing is central

The re-opening of daycares is not merely a by-product of the need for providing space for children while their moms are at work. Measures set to reopen daycare centres and education facilities need to be “child-sensitive”, and should factor in the physical and mental wellbeing of children (especially during the pandemic) as well as that of the caregivers.

Working mothers are capable and vital to overcoming these dire economic times

Mothers need to ensure that their children are safe and comfortable when they go to daycare, or else stay at home to look after them. Providing time for facilities to prepare, and supporting them to sustain their operation in the long term is key to ensuring that daycares are both ready and able to “care” for children. This article proposes some measures for governments to minimize the impact on children from Covid-19, including supporting nurseries, enrolling children in summer camps regardless of age, and enhancing mental health services for children once schools resume.

4. Mind the work IT gap

Not all working parents have the same level of tech competence or were prepared to deal with online platforms to manage their work from home. Should working parents decide to extend their stay at home to look after their children, capacity building and tools should be in place to ensure those parents are able to stay on top of their work. As working from home may have to extend or resurge, it is time to invest in the IT capacity of parents who work from home while other constraints are being resolved.

In conclusion, should countries seek a faster, equitable economic recovery from the pandemic, there needs to be deliberate action towards working mothers’ return to work as part of the re-opening equation. Working mothers are capable and vital to overcoming these dire economic times. Everyone needs to do their part to help achieve this. — Hanin Odeh

(Picture credit: Death to the stock photo)

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