America loves family values, but are all families valued in America?
How COVID-19 is hitting single mothers of color the most financially, emotionally and how this will affect all women in coming decades
By Nicole Vandehurst & Klara Knypinski
Master of Social Work students at the University of Southern California
As brick-and-mortar schools closed their doors this fall due to the Coronavirus, families across the country have been forced to tackle the challenges of virtual distance-learning. Inevitably, households have had to realign priorities, reallocate limited resources and rebalance often conflicting familial needs. These hardships have been felt disproportionately by single-moms of color. “I’m completely overwhelmed. It is 100% my responsibility to make sure their assignments are turned in — even in-class- on-camera work. I can’t ever sleep at night!” shares Jen, a single mother of two elementary-school-aged children. According to an analysis of the census data from the University of Minnesota, single moms have lost their jobs at a far higher rate than parents of other families with children.
In a recent survey that zeroed in on single parent, low-income homes and their recent experiences during Covid, almost all expressed frustration, hardship and a lack of societal support. Jessica highlights rigid demands at work and an unwillingness by her employer to be flexible: “I’ve ended up stepping back from work and concentrating on school for my boys. My finances and credit have taken a huge hit”. Approximately 60% of the jobs eliminated in the first wave of pandemic-induced layoffs were held by women. “Women are put in this impossible position of having to choose between their job and taking care of their kids,” says C. Nicole Mason, president of the Institute for Women’s Policy and Research and coauthor of a study published last month on the struggle of mothers during the pandemic.
These hardships, however, are not new. They are the direct result of decades of repeated political failings and poorly implemented policies. The pandemic should not serve as a scapegoat, but rather as a magnifying glass that brings to light the shortcomings of America’s purported prioritization of family values. The fact that 51% of single moms are in poverty tells us that this is an issue that has been ignored for far too long. Particularly, the struggles of poverty have fallen on single moms of color. Nearly 40% of families headed by Black and Hispanic women in the US live in poverty — compared to 28% of households led by white women.
In addition to the emotional and financial toll experienced by single mothers during these difficult times, the pandemic is likely to have negative implications for women in the workplace as a whole. According to labor census surveys, the number of women in the workforce is decreasing at a higher rate than their male counterparts. Increased number of jobs lost by women coupled with school and daycare closures has created a growing trend of mothers leaving the workforce to take care of their children. Fewer women working will likely have detrimental effects on gender equality in the workforce and roll back previous progress. How can women fight back against this trend?
Above all, more women must vote, and vote for the kind of leaders that prioritize working class mothers in their policies. For example, presidential candidate Joe Biden has repeatedly emphasized the importance of paid sick leave for working mothers. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 4 out of 5 workers have no paid family leave; most are single mothers holding low-earning positions. Former US congressman, Tom Perriello, suggests that the HEROES act could be expanded upon to ensure that all workers are guaranteed paid leave because “no one should have to choose between their health and their job.”
It is clear that the pandemic has disproportionately brought on more challenges for working mothers and particularly single working mothers of color. A Biden administration, unlike the reelection of Trump, shows promise of addressing these disproportionate burdens. As a priority, the Biden administration would need to push through fair living wages, universal childcare, and affordable higher education. With only 2 weeks left to the election, women ought to mobilize, not only to vote in large numbers, but to make clear to those newly elected leaders that these policies must be prioritized. Our united female voice is needed to protect those most vulnerable among us.
All names have been changed for anonymity
