Parenting and Covid-19

This research by Women’s Budget Group, The Fawcett Society, London School of Economics and Queen Mary’s University London sets out the experiences of parents at the height of lockdown. It comprises analysis of data from a survey of 1,424 parents of under-11s conducted in mid-April, and qualitative data from weekly diaries shared with Fawcett by 70 to 100 women each week.

Existing research shows that the overall unpaid childcare load on parents has significantly increased during the coronavirus crisis – with existing disparities between mothers and fathers increasing. From the data we have, mothers appear to be more likely to have lost work than fathers, and are more likely to have their time interrupted.

This briefing explores some of the implications of these findings for Government policy, including support for mothers to remain in work, changes to lockdown policy, and support for parents’ financial wellbeing and mental health.

Read the report