Moms are reducing work hours 4-5 times more than dads during pandemic

Brigid Schulte was quoted in Marketplace about how the pandemic and strong cultural norms appear to be amplifying gender inequality:

Brigid Schulte, the author of “Overwhelmed” and director of The Better Life Lab at the New America think tank, said moms have long shouldered the bulk of unpaid labor at home, even as the majority work full time. That often leads to a vicious cycle of pursuing less-demanding careers, receiving lower pay and then continuing to sacrifice work to accommodate a higher-earning spouse.

“Because if that earner loses benefits, or loses pay, or loses their job, you don’t have much of a safety net,” she said.

It’s just one more way the pandemic has turned out to be less the great leveler and more the great amplifier of existing inequities.