Trendspotting: Mom v Dad Employment Gap Has Disappeared

NEWSWIRE: 3/16/21

• Around 10 million U.S. mothers living with school-age children were not actively employed in January, 1.4 million more than in January of last year (2020). But mothers’ employment has largely recovered from the massive hit it took at the start of the pandemic; the decline they have seen is now on par with men’s. (Census Bureau)
• NH: Many recent news stories have spotlighted the difficulty of motherhood during the pandemic. According to outlets like CNBC and ABC, not only are moms struggling to balance caregiving and work, they have been hit harder than dads in job losses. But is this narrative true?
• We have reported on polls showing that mothers have indeed struggled more than fathers in pandemic home life. Telecommuting moms have found it more difficult to balance work and family, and they're considerably less satisfied than their husbands with the division of labor at home. (See "The Future of Telecommuting and the Office" and "Dads Are Spending More Time With Their Kids.")
• But the claim that mothers are lagging behind fathers in active employment, a designation which excludes anyone who is employed but on leave, is overblown--or at least no longer true. At the beginning of the pandemic, mothers were disproportionately affected by job losses. In April 2020, the number of mothers actively working fell 21.2%. Among fathers, the number fell only 14.7%. But by January 2021, that gap had practically disappeared. Mothers were down 6.4%, and fathers were down 5.9%. 
• The point isn’t to diminish the plight of moms. They have taken on immense amounts of stress and responsibility during the pandemic. But as of now, the gap between mothers and fathers actively working isn't supported by the data.