For moms striving for better work-life balance, COVID-19 upset the scales

The gender wage gap and the division of household labor were unequal before the pandemic. But, with schools, summer camps and care facilities either being closed or operating at limited capacity, working mothers are feeling the pressure as a disproportionate number of responsibilities land back on their plates.

For many moms, their ability to continue to work hinges on whether or not schools reopen this fall. And for others, that decision was out of their hands. The May jobs report showed that more women were unemployed than men, and that unemployment rates were higher among people of color than their white peers.

What do these setbacks mean for the financial future of American women? On Tuesday MPR News host Kerri Miller spoke with two experts on workplace culture and economics about the effects of COVID-19 on working women.

Guests:

• Haley Swenson, deputy director of the Better Life Lab at New America

• Sarah Jane Glynn who is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress where she focuses on economics, women and work.

  To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player above.

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