Constant Calibration and Working Moms

Gina Messina, Ph.D. 10/06/2020

With COVID-19 devastating our world, working mothers are faced with the responsibility of continuing the juggle, but in many cases with no childcare and the new weight of homeschooling. In addition, mothers are losing their jobs during the pandemic at a higher rate than any other group. Many of us are wondering what else could possibly be coming our way and how are we supposed to manage it?

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Categories: Institute of Women, Wellness & Work, Working moms

Tags: feminism, having it all, Mom Life, moms on the job, parental leave, women and work, working moms

Gina Messina, Ph.D.

Women in Today’s Workplace: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back?

The post-pandemic workplace is littered with uncertainty for workers in all industries, especially women. While the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic has passed, the lack of a steady workplace for women is still a prevalent problem. COVID-19 and Women’s Employment During the COVID-19 pandemic, women were 33% more likely than men to work in an industry shut down by the pandemic. Research indicated that jobs held by women were 1.8 times more vulnerable than those held by males. Women made up 39% of the employment on a global scale, but they accounted for 54% of the job losses worldwide. Economists also report that women were much more likely than men to be furloughed during the pandemic. In addition, women were furloughed for longer periods than…

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Gina Messina, Ph.D. 09/12/2022

COVID-19: For Women It’s One Step Forward, 30 Steps Back

We came across an interesting study by Dr. Gema Zamarro and her colleagues entitled “Gender Differences in the Impact of COVID-19”. Dr. Zamarro is a Professor and 21st Century Endowed Chair in Teacher Quality in the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas. We invited Dr. Zamarro to discuss how the research brief findings are relevant to working women. Below are her responses. Why is your topic important to study? The current COVID-19 crisis has the potential to drastically magnify gender gaps in terms of both childcare arrangements and work. With its social-distancing requirements, the COVID-19 pandemic had its biggest effect on more female-dominated sectors of the service industry and as a result, in contrast to other economic crises that affected more male employment,…

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Gema Zamarro, Ph.D. 09/24/2020

woman sitting at desk thinking, stressed, should you return to pre-pandemic job?

Is Your Pre-Pandemic Job Still Right for You?

Is Your Pre-Pandemic Job Still Right for You? The world is slowly returning back to “normal” 一 or as close to normal as things get while continuing to live with the threat of a global pandemic. And this return to “normal” has left many of us wondering: do I want to go back to exactly the way things were pre-pandemic? Here are some things to consider when weighing the pros and cons of staying at your pre-pandemic job. Many are leaving their pre-pandemic jobs As employers call workers back into the office, many people are choosing not to go back to their old jobs at all. Although a record number of open jobs are available in the U.S., hiring has gone way down. And people…

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Gina Messina, Ph.D. 10/18/2021

Why is Mommy So Stressed?

The pandemic has been tough on all of us, but it has hit working moms extra hard. Dr. Misty Heggeness, Principal Economist and Sr. Advisor for Evaluation & Experiments at the US Census Bureau, sees it clearly in the stats. We talked to her about the impact of COVID-19 on women in the workforce, how gender equality is impacting our health – and what we need to do to move mountains for working women. Dr. Heggeness shared her thoughts on her working paper entitled, “Why is Mommy so Stressed? Estimating the Immediate Impact of the COVID-19 Shock on Parental Attachment to the Labor Market and the Double Bind of Mothers”. Why is your topic important to study? Our society has yet to achieve gender equality…

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Misty L. Heggeness, Ph.D. 02/09/2021

The “Mommy Wars” in a Post-Pandemic World: The Battle We Need to Move Beyond

In the past few decades, few topics have been as polarizing among women as the “Mommy Wars.” The age-old debate between stay-at-home and working mothers about who is making the “right” choices has been a significant point of contention. With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, these conversations took on new dimensions, intensifying in some quarters while drawing the need for unity and understanding in others. Let’s explore the evolution of the “Mommy Wars” in the post-pandemic era and why it’s more crucial than ever for women to rise above the fray. Mommy Wars: Pre-Pandemic and Now Before the pandemic, the “Mommy Wars” often revolved around the supposed superiority of one parenting style or choice over another. Working mothers faced criticism for “neglecting” family, while…

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Institute Editorial Team 08/14/2023

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