Caregiving benefits still aren't doing enough for working moms

Women are still struggling under the burden of caregiving responsibilities, and their workplace policies just aren’t cutting it.

Nearly 3 million women left their jobs amidst the COVID-19 pandemic — with lack of caregiving support from employers as the leading cause behind the mass exodus. But even with increased efforts to provide flexibility and support, it’s still not enough: 53% of working mothers are less satisfied with their jobs now than they were pre-pandemic because of caregiving challenges, according to a recent study conducted by childcare company Care.com.

“We think we’ve made a lot of progress around gender equity and norms at home,” Natalie Mayslich, general Manager of consumer and enterprise at Care.com says. “But in reality, when push comes to shove, women are still shouldering that tremendous burden. Employers are starting to recognize how important those care benefits are.”

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Plagued by burnout and a desire for greater flexibility, women’s existing care-related challenges were further exacerbated during COVID, pushing many to their breaking point, Mayslich says. Additionally, the nation-wide closure of daycare centers stripped working moms of the little help they had available.

“Working mothers more so than ever before were sitting at home facing an untenable choice of whether they would be caring for their children or showing up for their paycheck,” Mayslich says. “All of a sudden our care infrastructure and ecosystem broke down and moms were shouldering that overwhelming burden.”

While the COVID crisis shined an important light on the needs of working mothers, just 14% of all female respondents reported that their employers provide childcare support, the survey found.

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Much of the delay is due to the push and pull between public and private sectors about what kind of benefits should be offered and who should be providing them, Mayslich says. But now that employers have realized that the government isn’t going to intervene and that it’s up to them to make these changes, companies are finally beginning the process of taking action.

Not only will this benefit working moms, but workplace equity as a whole, Mayslich says.

“Before the pandemic, cash was king — employees across all genders were looking for companies who would maximize their compensation,” Mayslich says. “Today what we see across all genders is employees looking for companies who are promoting equity, and a way to promote equity is through care benefits and recognizing that an employee is more than just a worker, they also have a life of their own.”

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And if companies don’t recognize that, employees are now emboldened to prioritize what they want and ask for it — even if it means finding another job that can give it to them.

“Employees shouldn't have to decide between taking care of their children or coming into work,” Mayslich says. “And employers who recognize what that means are facilitating the opportunity for employees to get the care they need in order to show up to work, bring their best selves and be productive.”