The Covid-19 pandemic has been notable for the retrograde step it invoked on women’s progress in the labor market. As schools closed and relatives required caring for, the burden disproportionately fell upon women, whether they were working or not. As such, it was depressingly common for women to either reduce their hours or leave the workforce entirely during the pandemic.
The impact of school closures in isolation is highlighted by a recent paper from Washington University in St. Louis, which suggests that decades of feminist gains in the workplace have been undermined by the pandemic.
The gender divide
The researchers draw on data from the Elementary School Operating Status to examine the impact of the pandemic on the gender gap between mothers and fathers in the workforce, especially since schools physically shut and moved classes online.
The data reveals that labor market participation for women was already 18% lower than fathers’ prior to the pandemic, but that this gap had grown to over 23% by September 2020 in states where online classes were offered. In states where schools remained open, the participation gap barely changed.
“Our research shows schools are a vital source of care for young children, and without full-time, in-person instruction, mothers have been sidelined from the labor force,” the researchers say. “The longer these conditions remain in place, the more difficult it may be for mothers to fully recover from prolonged spells of non-employment, resulting in reduced occupational opportunities and lifetime earnings.”
Infrastructure of care
The authors highlight how while the primary function of a school is to educate the children, they also provide a significant and expansive infrastructure of care. This is especially so for elementary school-age children, with this care something parents rely on to allow them to work.
Across the US, the response from states has been far from uniform, which has allowed researchers to examine the impact the restrictions have had, with this particular study focusing solely on school closures and their impact.
The data showed them which school districts were offering classes in-person, remotely, or a combination of the two during September 2020. They were then able to combine this with the Current Population Survey to explore the link between school reopenings and labor participation rates among parents both before the pandemic and during it.
A crucial role
The findings from the study highlight the crucial role schools play not only in terms of the education they provide but also in their enabling role in helping parents, and especially mothers, maintain employment. As long as fathers fail to fulfill their share of domestic obligations, then the absence of schooling will weigh heaviest on working women.
The authors say that one in three women who have left employment since the pandemic started have cited childcare pressures as the main factor behind their decision. This should come as no surprise as data also suggests that the domestic division of labor has worsened during the pandemic.
“Mothers have also reported greater increases in anxiety, depression and disturbed sleep compared to fathers, especially after experiencing a job loss or an increased housework or childcare load,” the researchers say. “Without more support from fathers, employers and the government, something had to give under this unsustainable pressure. What seems to be giving is mothers’ employment.”
What’s more, it’s a consequence that the researchers believe will have long-term implications, as falling out of the labor market not only affects immediate financial stability but also things such as their psychological wellbeing and lifetime earnings.
“This is an injustice with long-term consequences for mothers’ job prospects and economic stability,” the researchers conclude. “These are not personal problems, but deeply political issues that require policy interventions. Well-funded and evidence-based reopening plans are necessary to allow children to return to school face-to-face, and to allow parents to engage in paid work.
“Now, more than ever, it is crucial that federal and state governments invest in expanding the public care infrastructure for children of all ages.”
