The novel COVID-19 outbreak has presented challenges for everyone on a global scale. The effects of the pandemic, however, have hit working moms hard in particular. With schools and child care centers closed, many parents are struggling to juggle working remotely with children at home.
Working Moms Struggle to Stay Engaged at Work
Balancing work while parenting has never been easy. Throw in managing children’s distance learning while working remotely, and it is no surprise that many working moms are feeling overwhelmed and struggling with productivity right now.
In fact, 81 percent of working mothers reported that their ability to engage effectively at work has been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, according to a recent study conducted by Bonnier Custom Insights, a division of Working Mother Media’s parent company Bonnier Corporation.
More than half of the respondents (55 percent) pinpointed anxiety or stress due to current uncertainty in their personal life as the reason why they are struggling to engage effectively at work. Similarly, over a third named family pressures as the culprit to their decreased engagement at work.
“They are the canaries in the coal mine. This doesn’t mean the rest of employees are just fine, but right now one of the groups we find are disproportionately impacted are working moms,” states Dr. Laura Sherbin, economist and managing director at Working Mother Media’s Culture@Work.
Faced with a daunting schedule packed with virtual meetings for both themselves and their children, it is understandable why many moms are finding it difficult to concentrate at work. With women making up more than half of the U.S. workforce, it is imperative for both families and the economy that working mothers feel supported and have access to resources they need.
How Au Pairs Can Help
One way working moms can feel supported is through the help of an au pair. Having an au pair join your family can make working from home with children much less stressful. Au pairs can provide live-in child care assistance and work a flexible schedule that can meet your family’s needs during these unprecedented times. Plus, your family can benefit from the meaningful experience of cultural exchange!
Au pairs can help your family establish a routine while keeping children engaged at home. From helping with children’s meals to keeping little ones active outdoors, au pairs can help limit interruptions from children while parents work from home. Au pairs can share songs from their culture with children, introduce children to a new language, work on craft projects, help keep children connected during social distancing, and much more!
Additionally, au pairs can help parents find some much-needed time for themselves. With 27 percent of working moms rating their emotional state as poor or terrible in the recent Bonnier Custom Insights survey, it’s more important than ever that mothers have the ability to prioritize their emotional wellbeing. Together, working parents and au pairs can create a schedule for children that allows parents to devote more attention to work – and self-care.
The convenience and flexibility of live-in child care assistance can help simplify the busy lives of working moms and give them the work-life balance they need. Undoubtedly, an extra set of hands can provide stability and comfort for children while easing the anxiety and stress of parents during these chaotic times.
Au Pair in America recognizes the challenges faced by working parents during the current pandemic. Learn more about how hosting an au pair can help your family.
2 comments
Yes this is rather difficult times. I actually have always worked from home but not along with my entire family while serving as an assistant teacher for my kids. They are often ignored throughout the day while I try to juggle virtual meetings and work deadlines.
I completely agree!
We are so blessed and fortunate to have chosen the au pair route for childcare. My husband and I both work in the same industry that has not slowed down with the plandemic. As we are in top positions, our workloads have significantly increased as others are not able to work and to prepare, enable and organize remote working as well as financial applications and many other facets. Additionally, home life has been more demanding with cooking every night, planning/submitting kids lessons, and juggling many more things on our plate than normal. When the schools closed, we had to make very minimal adjustments for the kids as our au pair stepped up and took on the lessons and care for both kids during the work hours. Having younger children, there is no way we would have both been able to hold down our jobs. Sure, my husband is with the kids now for breakfast, but he doesn’t commute to work so he still starts working at the same time, I take an hour or so midday break to check-in and give the au pair a break and make lunch as well as planning for their lessons and submitting which is about another hour a day, and we get interrupted only 1-2 times a day, but that is so minimal compared to the alternative! We are still able to make it work well below the max of 45 hours for our au pair. Now, I’m not saying we stayed sane because I don’t think that’s possible, but it has been a complete life saver to have at home, live in care when the schools and daycares closed! It’s been so great actually, we are considering home schooling the kids and continuing the au pair program.
Having had au pairs for 3 years, I don’t think I could do without. Even just simply the thought of the kids laundry seems daunting. I can’t keep up with my own laundry, but it’s really important to me that the kids wear clean clothes! That’s one less thing I have to worry about and date nights are great too! It’s also been a great cultural experience and exposure for the kids. The worst part of having an au pair is when they have to leave!
Nicole
Mother of 2 amazing kids and Host mom for 3 amazing au pairs! 🤗