Mothering in the time of COVID.

"We must acknowledge that bearing and raising children is not some pesky, peripheral activity that we engage in, but the whole point."

Susan Maushart

Motherhood has taken a battering over the years. It has been both the pinnacle of a woman's achievements and a shackle keeping her from achieving - and pivoted between the two in almost six decades of my life.

Today raising children is generally a shared role between two adults. Being a stay-at-home mother is a much briefer time in women's lives and in many families is limited to paid parental leave periods of just 18 weeks. Part-time work, study and parenting is a juggle for many.

Although practical aspects of caring for children might be shared, many women feel overwhelmed by the mental load they carry keeping it all together.

Covid-19 has brought to the surface the inequity women still live with. More likely to be employed casually. More likely to work in health care, childcare, education. More likely to be in jobs which can't be done from home. More likely to be bearing the load of remote learning. More likely to be socially isolated and juggling multiple roles in lockdown.