Life for working mothers is still too hard, according to a new US survey from the Institute of Women’s Policy Research (IWPR).
Its latest survey highlights the challenges that working mothers are facing this year and reveals what they need to overcome them. According to IWPR findings, mothers want and need universal high-quality child care, paid leave, equal pay, and employment that secures their economic stability.
In short working mothers want and need good jobs. More than six in 10 moms (62.8% of women with children under 18) are either ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ worried about having enough income to pay the family’s bills, compared to one in three women without childcare responsibilities. They also want access to universal high-quality childcare. Around two-thirds of mother’s (64.1% of women with children) report being ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ worried about balancing work responsibilities with their own personal and family needs, compared to three in 10 other women.
Paid leave is vital for working moms. The survey revealed that women cannot afford to take leave, unless it’s paid. In fact, 43.5% of women with children needed time off during the pandemic, but weren’t able to take it. Nearly seven in 10 women agree that paid leave is ‘very important’ including 69.7% of women with children and 68.7% of women who do not currently have children under 18.
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TRANSPARENCY AND EQUAL PAY
Finally, women want pay transparency and equal pay. Prohibiting employers from asking for salary history and making company pay data transparent could help close the pay gap, according to IWPR findings. Around 82.7% of mothers and 79.3% of other women want salary ranges to be made public with any vacancy announcements.
IWPR’s Jeff Hayes who analysed the survey data said the data shows that it is vital that women have the necessary support to re-enter the workforce in sustainable employment. “They also need to provide for their families, and access high-quality and affordable childcare as the nation turns to recovery. Women and mothers have been disproportionately impacted by job and income losses since the start of the pandemic,” he noted. Compared to men, women, epically mothers, are more likely to have lost jobs in the hardest-hit sectors; and are shouldering most of the caregiving responsibilities in families.
“Working mothers and caregivers had a difficult time during the Pandemic, juggling childcare and full-time work,” added IWPR’s President and CEO C Nicole Mason. “It is time to create systems and workplaces that support women, allow them to advance in their careers, and sustain employment. This year breakfast in bed won’t cut it.”
Mason believes that President Biden’s proposals in the American Family Plan will go a long way towards building a fair, more equitable economy for families. “It will also save families across the country more than $957 Billion dollars over a 10-year period on childcare,” she added.
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