Has Pandemic Made Things Tougher to Manage for Working Mothers?

Working Mothers – Well, it seems that the human tragedy is nowhere near to pulling a curtain to the catastrophe. The death rates are at an ever-increasing spree, and the world has come to a standstill. However, even though worldly affairs have been disrupted, we cannot afford the economy go down the drain. This is one of the notable reasons why most corporate organizations across the globe have issued regulatory notices related to working from home till things get back to normalcy.

According to reports, 39.0% of employees are women (which is good news), but there are downsides to the story as well. When it comes to working mothers, things tend to get a bit challenging. They need to take care of so many things. If a toddler sees his/her mother at home, the kiddo won’t understand the concept of working from home. For him/her, it’s her mother who is at home. That’s all would matter to the child. As a result, every working mother has to face such hurdles and take care of too many things at home, alongside preparing those excel sheets, answering emails, attending video conferences and preparing work reports.

Read Also – The Socio-Economic Divide In Education In Light Of Covid-19

Here’s how the pandemic has apparently escalated more challenges for the working mothers at home.

1. Daily chores and office works get mixed up

It’s a hotchpotch to be precise. First of all, you need to wake up early, change your kid’s nappies, wake them for the morning grind and breakfast, and rush to the kitchen. She also needs to look back at the child if he/she is up to any mischief. Amidst this chaos, you don’t get to realise when it’s 10:00 am, and you need to log in.

Now, in case you are a tad late reporting to your manager online, he will immediately escalate the issue and raise questions on your professionalism. And you need to sit back and explain the person with every possible justification to resume work at the earliest.

Being dynamic, going about all important paperwork and other office files and playing with your child at the same time is no child’s play I tell you.

2. A constant guilt conscience is actually toxic

Studies suggest that most kids are often more dependent on their mothers in terms of assisting them through homework. For example, if you end up dedicating the entire day at work, only to realise that your child couldn’t finish assignment help on time, you won’t feel good about it. Moreover, you would only repent on not being able to spend quality time and help the little one with his/her academic lessons.

Such guilt consciences give rise to the need to strategising stricter management plans on how to maintain a fine balance between working from home and looking after our child. Now, in an endeavour to find remedial measures and boost your managerial skills, you would invest another chunk of additional hours in reading blogs and useful journals.

This, as a result, will add up to your chores and might just make things all the more complicated down the road.

3. At home, you cannot have your lunch at the right time

You cannot eat your meal within an organized and specified frame of time. Things are totally different when you are in the office. At home, it’s a different scenario altogether. First of all, you need to prepare and arrange the lunch and look after your kids whether they had their meal properly.

Secondly, the time invested in preparing the lunch and feeding your child needs to be balanced. In an effort to do so, you might end up mismanaging the entire work schedule, and as you look at the clock, it’s already 5:00 pm. The struggle is real. Go here, for- essay writer

4. You have to be extra cautious during a pandemic

Especially when you are a working mother, you have to keep a tab on your child’s activities and monitor whether they are in contact with unhygienic objects, dirty clothes, dusty toys and the likes. You cannot afford to let your child go out and play with friends as you focus on your office work meanwhile. This is no regular work from the home condition. It has come with a plethora of instructions and stringencies to follow.

Whatever you do, and wherever you during this work from the home season, it has to be literally under the same roof. Thus, managing things from that perspective, looking after your child’s hygiene, keeping track of their medications (if any), and following up with self-hygiene at the same are challenging.

A day has 24 hours, and you are supposed to dedicate 8 long hours to office work and manage the remaining 16 hours in a strategic manner. It’s no easy job to pursue.

5. Avoiding the Guilt Trap

With so many complications and challenges faced by a mother during the pandemic work from home, they will simply end up neglecting their own selves. It goes without saying; every mother wants to be the best mother for their children. And they can go to any extent to prove that. In case they fail to do so, they will only blame time, work and professional space at the end of the day.

This guilt trap can be avoided if you consider these suggestions.

• Divide your time accordingly, be true to yourself regarding following that schedule under any circumstances, unless there’s an emergency.
• Relax; you are doing more than enough. Be proud of yourself. Managing work and household chores isn’t everyone’s forte.
• Do not take up the entire responsibility on your shoulder. Allow your husband to be a part of it. Hustle together and lift things up with a smile.
• Get some time for yourself too. Read a good book, watch movies, make art and be yourself for a while.
• If you get some unexpected free time, surprise your kids my making their favourite dishes, sit with them, play around, tune into their favourite cartoon shows together.
• Most importantly, stay positive and take life as it comes.

Kudos to all the super-moms out there!