NYT: In the Covid-19 Economy, You Can Have a Kid or a Job. You Can’t Have Both.

[Anonymous]

As usual, the US can't invest in anything that might make us more equitable. There are plenty of solutions, they wouldn't be cheap but they would keep people working and get people back to work. Last year in my district there was a lot of talk about using swing spaces while schools were rehabbed. They could use those spaces now, pod kids according to whether they need full time care and have kids move from classroom time with a teacher to out-of-school time with a childcare provider who could provide enrichment and study hall part of the time and just keep them safe and occupied the rest of the time. Or the government could offer a large scale voucher program so that working parents could pay someone to watch kids during their remote school time. Both schemes would provide employment when so many are unemployed. Or they could pass legislation protecting working parents with childcare responsibilities from retaliation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So true. Woman will be set back by this for sure.

or men will finally step up.

And do what? They have precisely the dilemma described in the article - they need to send their kids to school and they need to go back to work - and the article did not propose any solutions.

It is idiotic to make this a men vs women problem, because it isn’t.

Women disproportionally do the vast bulk of childcare in this country.

SO. WHAT.

You’re totally missing the point.

WHAT DO YOU WANT MEN TO DO?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So true. Woman will be set back by this for sure.

But the alternative STILL puts an undue health burden on women as most k-12 teachers are female.

[Anonymous]

We know a family where the grandparents, parents and kids all live in one household. They are the ones who have been able to continue without the issue of childcare because there are 4 adults to two kids. Parents work in IT and medical field. Both grandparents had prestigious careers too before retiring. Before COVID they had outsourced cleaning etc, so I am sure that cooking, cleaning and laundry is not easier than before COVID.

Perhaps we should think not of women opting out of workplace but recognizing that multigenerational households have some positives for working parents. We are too screwed as a planet and species to now worry about the cons of joint families.

[Anonymous]

Honestly, from the perspective of this Gen X working mother, this crisis is just more of the same, except that the problems that have existed for decades are magnified. The expectations placed on women to support the education of their children and do their jobs are unrealistic. Sure, school is not daycare. But a regular school calendar is beneficial to working parents in terms of finding care and taking days off. Random work days, snow days, and half days are not. The many school closures create inequities for parents whose work does not permit flexibility or who lack the means to outsource quality care (or who don't have extended family support).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We know a family where the grandparents, parents and kids all live in one household. They are the ones who have been able to continue without the issue of childcare because there are 4 adults to two kids. Parents work in IT and medical field. Both grandparents had prestigious careers too before retiring. Before COVID they had outsourced cleaning etc, so I am sure that cooking, cleaning and laundry is not easier than before COVID.

Perhaps we should think not of women opting out of workplace but recognizing that multigenerational households have some positives for working parents. We are too screwed as a planet and species to now worry about the cons of joint families.

+1 My parents are moving in with us next month. Multigenerational household makes sense to us right now and we are looking forward to it.

[Anonymous]

I thought this pre-COVID.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We know a family where the grandparents, parents and kids all live in one household. They are the ones who have been able to continue without the issue of childcare because there are 4 adults to two kids. Parents work in IT and medical field. Both grandparents had prestigious careers too before retiring. Before COVID they had outsourced cleaning etc, so I am sure that cooking, cleaning and laundry is not easier than before COVID.

Perhaps we should think not of women opting out of workplace but recognizing that multigenerational households have some positives for working parents. We are too screwed as a planet and species to now worry about the cons of joint families.

+1 My parents are moving in with us next month. Multigenerational household makes sense to us right now and we are looking forward to it.

It's great that you are able to get that sort of help. Just don't start arguing for DL now because you have vulnerable people in your household. Not everybody has parents who are able or willing to do this. Multigenerational households are a double-edged sword in times of Covid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We know a family where the grandparents, parents and kids all live in one household. They are the ones who have been able to continue without the issue of childcare because there are 4 adults to two kids. Parents work in IT and medical field. Both grandparents had prestigious careers too before retiring. Before COVID they had outsourced cleaning etc, so I am sure that cooking, cleaning and laundry is not easier than before COVID.

Perhaps we should think not of women opting out of workplace but recognizing that multigenerational households have some positives for working parents. We are too screwed as a planet and species to now worry about the cons of joint families.

+1 My parents are moving in with us next month. Multigenerational household makes sense to us right now and we are looking forward to it.

This is lovely for people who have parents who are healthy enough to help. For us, we were relying on an au pair to fill that gap. But the Trump administration has now put a ban in place for new au pairs, essentially giving the middle finger to working families in the middle of a childcare crisis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So true. Woman will be set back by this for sure.

or men will finally step up.

But, it doesn't even matter. Someone has to work, be it a man or a woman, and, in much of the country, two incomes are required, so both work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So true. Woman will be set back by this for sure.

or men will finally step up.

But, it doesn't even matter. Someone has to work, be it a man or a woman, and, in much of the country, two incomes are required, so both work.

I dont know why lawmakers aren't viewing the lack of childcare as a significant threat to the US economy. So much lost productivity and potential that may never be regained.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So true. Woman will be set back by this for sure.

or men will finally step up.

And do what? They have precisely the dilemma described in the article - they need to send their kids to school and they need to go back to work - and the article did not propose any solutions.

It is idiotic to make this a men vs women problem, because it isn’t.

Women disproportionally do the vast bulk of childcare in this country.

SO. WHAT.

You’re totally missing the point.

WHAT DO YOU WANT MEN TO DO?

More childcare? Isn't that obvious? What are you missing here?

[Anonymous]

Multi generational housing is NOT the answer during the time of Covid! Are you nuts??? Look at what happened in Italy you idiots.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Multi generational housing is NOT the answer during the time of Covid! Are you nuts??? Look at what happened in Italy you idiots.

Exactly. Multi-generational households were THE driver of the high fatality rate in Italy. Hotel Mama is a common concept there, and it didn't work out well for the elders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So true. Woman will be set back by this for sure.

or men will finally step up.

And do what? They have precisely the dilemma described in the article - they need to send their kids to school and they need to go back to work - and the article did not propose any solutions.

It is idiotic to make this a men vs women problem, because it isn’t.

Women disproportionally do the vast bulk of childcare in this country.

SO. WHAT.

You’re totally missing the point.

WHAT DO YOU WANT MEN TO DO?

More childcare? Isn't that obvious? What are you missing here?

What kind of childcare? Provided by who? Why is that a “men step up” issue? What do you want me, a man who is not the CEO and has no great power or control in my company, to step up and do?