“There’s a false sense of ‘you’re a mom so you can juggle it all,’” said Tipton. “Businesses can’t fall into that.” More than three-quarters of women surveyed by Women in the Workforce with children under age 10 said childcare has been one of their top three challenges during the pandemic, with just 54 percent of fathers sharing that same concern. Mothers are more than three times as likely as fathers to be responsible for most of the housework and caregiving. For the 1 in 5 moms who don’t live with a spouse or partner, or for dual mom households, the challenges are even greater. “It’s hard to find that balance when you need to be teacher and support while still having a full-time job,” said Bryant. “I put a ton of pressure on myself to be the best I can professionally and as a mom and wife. Over the last few months I’ve felt I’ve failed at every one of those on more than one occasion. In reality, I haven’t failed; I need to have grace with myself and find the balance I need to meet the expectations I have for myself.” The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports women made up 80 percent of the nearly 1.1 million workers who dropped out of the labor force in September 2020. So while women’s official rates of unemployment fell in September, that doesn’t account for those who left the workforce entirely. And while the overall unemployment rate of women fell to 7.4 percent in September, Hispanic and Black women’s rates rose to 11 and 11.1 percent respectively. One third of working women are employed in two industries hit hardest by the pandemic, the health and social assistance industry with increasing demands and potential burnout, and the leisure and hospitality industry, which is experiencing closures. While the underlying issues of women’s underrepresentation in leadership, the gender pay gap and women baring the brunt of household and caregiving responsibilities aren’t new, they’ve been exacerbated. “This is an incredibly stressful time, but for working parents, these aren’t novel issues, they’re just novel times,” said Cave. “Someone lit the match and we’re seeing things on a much more intense level.” How employers can support working moms While the Family First Coronavirus Relief Act provided some American parents with provisions to take partially-paid leave to
care for children out of school or daycare because of the affects of the pandemic, Cave says many working moms took that leave at the front end of the pandemic when the population largely assumed disruptions would be short-lived. With those provisions expiring at the end of 2020 and a pandemic still raging, some employers, which Cave calls not adaptable by nature, have chosen to become more flexible to support employees. “No business thinks this is going to be their best sales period, but maybe they will be building loyalty and commitment from their employees that translates to more productivity when they are able to return in a more traditional way,” said Cave. Even with a predominantly male workforce, especially in the Oklahoma City location, AGS has made accommodations for working parents. While full remote work isn’t possible for all administrative level staff because of the nature of the manufacturing business, some employees like Sharpe now work remotely a few days per week. “We want our employees to have a presence but we also don’t want their kids to suffer because this isn’t their fault,” said Sharpe. Sharpe, Bryant and Francka’s companies have each proactively asked employees what support they need at various points during the pandemic. Even if a specific situation can’t be assuaged to an employee’s exact specifications, management may be willing to compromise. “Employees have said there is value in flexibility, and it [should be] addressed on an individual level because there isn’t just a one-size fit,” said Bryant. “Small tweaks on the business side could be monumental for an employee.” Bryant now works from home three days per week, and thanks to flexibility in her schedule is able to drop her kids off at school for the first time in her career. Kimray team members are managed and evaluated on the quality of performance and work produced, not necessarily set hours during the course of the day. “We have started to do business in a different way and we’ve actually become better,” said Bryant. “Offering remote working has made some employees much more efficient.” Even supported working moms cite burnout, particularly those working from home. Francka’s days no longer have a set schedule, with constant shifting between mom and work modes. She spends
22 METROFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM / DECEMBER 2020
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