You could be heading to a big meeting, and you get a call that somebody needs to be picked up because they got sick.

The school could be closed, or it’s parent-teacher conference day. There are a lot of things that make child care fragile, and that has always been in direct conflict with this culture of overwork that puts an emphasis on face time.” – Leslie Forde

Everyone dreads getting a call from the school or daycare. Someone is sick and you need to be picked up. Having to notify your employer you need to leave brings on another level of anxiety.

The pandemic brought forward this issue in the most extreme way, but it also forced many companies to adapt and adopt new ways of doing business. Forcing flexibility for their employees allowed many working parents to continue to work while caring for their children.

Now, obviously, these circumstances weren’t ideal, but it worked. The question is will the companies continue to offer this flexibility to working parents going forward? It could be game-changing for women, particularly Moms who carry the majority of the childcare responsibilities.

I had the pleasure of talking with Laura Colarusso for her Washington Monthly article, “Can Working From Home Fix the Gender-Wage Gap?”.