How Has Covid Affected Working Moms and Their Lifestyle?

It's never easy to balance the needs of motherhood. And, with Covid forcing many women to be employees, parents, and teachers simultaneously, many working mothers are struggling to keep it all together. It's obvious that mothers are often responsible for household chores and childcare. And it's even harder if they are working moms. Now the pandemic has made working parents and children taking online classes the new normal. 

According to a survey by Motherly, 74% of mothers in the US report feeling worse mentally since the start of the pandemic. This report gathered responses from more than 3,000 millennial moms and found that 97% of moms aged 24 to 39 say they feel exhausted at least part of the daytime, with a pandemic that has only made things worse.

Before the pandemic in March 2020, women were already more likely than their spouses or partners to say they carried more weight when it came to parenting. Additionally, working moms were likely to say they faced some challenges at work because they balanced their work and family responsibilities.

From a survey, working moms (50%) were more likely than working dads (39%) to say that being a working parent made it more difficult for their growth. They mentioned that there had been times when they had had to reduce their hours and felt they couldn't give 100% at work because they were balancing work and parental responsibilities. 

From October 2020, About 27% of working mothers said they were treated as if they were not engaged in their work. Similar patterns and gender differences were found when working parents were asked if they had had these experiences since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.

This pandemic has raised superficial questions about the division of household chores and responsibilities between couples. But even before the pandemic, about 59% of women said they were doing more than their partner to take on these responsibilities. 

Caregiving takes many forms, whether it is caring for a newborn baby or a sick family member. About 65% of moms had taken off days to care for their family members. Among men who took family leave, by comparison, 44% said they provided more care than anyone else. Perceptions of caregiving also differed between men and women. In the same survey, 45% of the US said that when a family member has a serious health problem, the care responsibilities fall primarily on women. Women were much more likely than men to say that these responsibilities fell on both men and women.

Even in 2020, a bunch of the housework, childcare, and family care falls on women. And how can we expect women to reach their full potential at work in addition to their usual responsibilities at home. Also, they balance new school hours and closed daycares. This leaves little time and emotional, mental, and physical capacity to take care of ourselves when we all need it most.

Here are a few reasons for not blaming Covid and sticking with the job you have:

Maintaining a work-life balance for working mothers can be a challenge, especially when the territory for the two has become one. With more responsibilities as a new mom or young professional, the pressures of managing the home and work can be put to the test. More often than not, we lose our personal well-being. It leaves us empty, frustrated, dissatisfied, unhappy and also affects our productivity, both at work and at home.

The morning time is the "golden hour" because that is when you can save time for yourself. Therefore wake up an hour earlier and follow a routine of any activity that makes you feel connected to yourself. And this will help you feel grounded and ready for the day ahead.

As the influence of social media increases, most women spend a lot of time on their cell phones. If only your job requires you to use your phones, avoid using them during your most productive hours. Concentrate, complete your critical activities, and take short breaks for yourself.

It is essential that you write down your tasks for the day and prioritize them accordingly. Identify the part of the day you feel most motivated, and complete your most important tasks within that time frame. However, if you feel a little distracted, try to finish the rest of the tasks. Having a full to-do list will help you sleep well and reduce stress.

Working in front of a screen due to work for a long time, your eyes and mind can go blank quickly. Taking short 5-minute breaks can help build focus for a longer period of time. Avoid all screen activity during this break. Make yourself a cup of tea or wet your eyes with a little cold water. 

There will be days when you can't achieve everything on your list. And everyone has these days so remember to take-off time. You can read, exercise, laugh, or do whatever makes you happy. Disconnect from stress and give more time for new thoughts and positivity in your life.

The Covid has dramatically intensified the challenges women already faced. Working moms who worked and had to cope with exhausting hours now face a lack of childcare. There is constant anxiety about layoffs and vacations. As a result, employees feel they need to be "always" working around the clock and puts them at increased risk of burnout. And for exhausted working moms, the mental health risks are significant.

So what does the future of women's work look like at the current pressures? Here are some of the predictions:

This pandemic taught us one thing for sure, and that's- family comes first. As the situation continues, many moms prepare for further work interruptions with the children who continue to study at home. Working mothers are especially overworked now as they juggle careers, distance learning, childcare, and homework. Work-life balance has always been a struggle. Now, with the pandemic, many women are hitting a wall. Priorities have changed, and the balance between family and work is at the top of the list.

About 90% of companies who think of more work done remotely by women have a great opportunity to take advantage of this option. And this will evolve into a hybrid model with employees working remotely and from an office during the workweek.

Being a parent, it’s always overwhelming to balance the demands of work and family life. But apart from all those- women suffer more. Women are more likely than men to adapt their careers to family. While women make up nearly 50% of the US workforce, they still spend more time on average than men on housework and childcare.

During Covid, women took on an even heavier burden. Mothers are more than three times more likely than fathers to be responsible for most household chores and care. Employers must offer flexible work options or risk losing talented employees. Mercer's recent research shows that 56% of workers would look to change jobs if their employers did not keep their jobs flexible after the pandemic.