As Mother’s Day approaches, this year feels different.  In a time of coronavirus, we need more than flowers and a day off.  We need more than traditional self-care.  We need recognition, deep and lasting recognition, that the work we do as caregivers is invaluable.  We need recognition from society as a whole, not just our families.  The pandemic has shown everyone that we are essential – women make up over half of the workforce deemed “essential,” including 77% of healthcare workers.  Our lives are on the line as front-line healthcare workers:  the CDC reports that 73% of healthcare workers who have contracted coronavirus are women.  On top of all of this, our stress is through the roof with the roles we play at home:  women were already making 80% of the healthcare decisions in families, and now, as at-home caregivers, we are juggling even more, with home-schooling added to our paying jobs.  

For more on how we can come together to demand a deep and lasting recognition, check out my blog post featured on MomsRising here!