I’ve been observing the effects of prolonged school closures through the prism of Facebook mom’s groups. Small sample, but data nevertheless. One group devoted exclusively to working moms has largely become an advice board on how to pause /leave workforce to care for children.

These moms weren’t prompted to leave the workforce because of CERB. If that were the case, they would have done it weeks ago. They are making the decision now beciase it’s clear the government has no plan to bring students back to school full-time in the fall.

A lot of working moms realize they can’t do paid and care work together indefinitely and esp under an erratic hybrid school arrangement. Something’s gotta give. And as one mom put it, if she’s going to fail at something, it won’t be her kids.

Most of us made it work from March-June because we had to. It was an emergency. We understood extraordinary measures were needed. Sacrifice.

But now policy-makers have wasted the lead time we gave them. Opened bars and malls before figuring out a plan for a safe return to school. This leaves working parents to figure it out on their own. Many moms have decided that means quitting work to care for and homeschool kids.

This shouldn’t be seen as inevitable or necessary. It’s a preventable loss of talent, and it suggests, as always, women’s work is unvalued, under-valued and largely disposable. Not having a plan for school and care robs all of us of women’s economic and social contributions.