Webinar: Lessons from the pandemic

Editor's Pick
Joseph Mullane
October 17, 2022
0
3 minutes read

Family well-being, childcare and gender

Mothers work less, earn less and dedicate more of their time to housework and childcare than fathers. Availability of and state support for childcare is particularly important for mothers and they are disproportionately affected when it is withdrawn or access to it is limited.

These were the findings from research into the impact of the pandemic on families.

In new Nuffield Foundation funded research, Birgitta Rabe and co-authors from the University of Essex examined the causal effect of school availability on families.

Findings also showed that when schools and nurseries closed due to the pandemic, mothers took up more of the burden of childcare and home-schooling than fathers.

The striking finding from their research is that mothers experienced sharp falls in well-being when their children were out of school, but there was no effect on fathers’ well-being.

An event has been launched to examine these findings and consider their more general implications.

Questions such as “Will future restrictions in childcare access once again harm women’s well-being?” will be put to experts in this event.

Confirmed speakers

Professor Birgitta Rabe (University of Essex) on “School access and parents’ mental health”.
Megan Jarvie (Coram Family and Childcare) on “The childcare crisis and the impacts for families”.
Professor Almudena Sevilla (London School of Economics) on “The long-term pandemic consequences for gender equality”.
Professor Lucinda Platt (London School of Economics) on “Gendered inequalities in public and private spheres”.
More TBA.

The event will take place on Wednesday 19th of October, 2022 from 9:30am to 12:00pm.

Location: Nuffield Foundation, 100 St John Street, London EC1M 4EH & online via Zoom.

If you are unable to attend, please feel free to share the event details and registration link with members of your network you think may be interested.

This hybrid event will be held at the Nuffield Foundation in London with the option to watch the presentations and take part in the discussions online. In person guests are invited to arrive at the Nuffield Foundation for registration from 9:30am. The event will be followed by a networking lunch.