The coronavirus pandemic has upended the lives of many parents and now a new study shows how mothers and fathers are coping while working from home.
The study, done by the Council on Contemporary Families, looked at parents in traditional families working from home.
The study found that fathers are doing almost the same amount of child care as mothers, but there is a massive difference in the amount of housework. While researchers found the habits of fathers have not changed, mothers are doing an additional 50 minutes of housework a day.
Depression and anxiety among parents working from home were also examined and found 20% of mothers feel depressed compared to 11% of fathers.
Eighteen percent of mothers said they felt anxious, compared to 6% of fathers, according to the study.
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"The biggest advice is to seek out support as much as possible," said Gureen Singh, a family counselor in Boston. "In most households, moms tend to be the bearers of emotional labor and try to figure out schedules for their kids."
Singh said parents have to share in the work around the home which includes dividing up childcare responsibilities.
"There's a lot for parents to manage right now with their own stuff with work as well as with their kids in school," Singh said.
Parents also need to understand this is a hard time and their own emotional well-being is going to go a long way in helping their kids, according to Singh.
