COVID19 and Gender Inequality – The Role of Childcare

In the wake of International Women’s day and Women’s History Month Centro Infantil responds to the recent annual PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Women in Work Index report.

Centro Infantil has seen this pandemic hit its families hard – especially mothers. Although Centro Infantil has been doing everything it can to continue to serve its families, a new study found that women are dramatically more impacted by this pandemic and the main factor behind this is childcare. 

The Women in Work Index 2021 report stated:

• The COVID-19 pandemic has reversed many of women’s workplace gains, causing a ‘shecession’, according to a new report.
• On average, women spent 7.7 more hours a week than men on unpaid childcare last year, forcing some women to quit their jobs altogether.
• The report concluded that progress towards gender equality at work would not begin to recover until 2022.

These findings are not surprising especially considering the gendered roles parents play. In Mexico, women are more likely to be responsible for childcare – which is why Centro Infantil has been so valued to working women. By Centro Infantil providing a nurturing space for early childhood education – both the daycare and preschool – women were able to go to work knowing their kids were safe and cared for. 

In the last year we have seen the coronavirus pandemic reverse women’s workplace gains as the burden of childcare rose and female-dominated sectors lost many jobs. Many of Centro Infantil’s parents lost their jobs and some need to stay home to help their children with online learning. 

Low-income families are Centro Infantil’s priority considering the high costs childcare requires. Childcare is equivalent to a full-time job and women need it to work. This pandemic has put these families in a catch-22, they cannot work because they need childcare, and they need childcare to work. Centro Infantil needs your support to reopen the daycare when in-person classes are permitted again.

So, it’s time for a call to action.

Please consider helping Centro Infantil as it responds to the critical needs of low-income families in San Miguel de Allende and seeks to break the cycle of poverty by targeting two generations at a time through early childhood education, personal development, and entrepreneurial workshops. 

Your donations help in the following ways:

$25	Buys a uniform for one child.
$50	Provides school supplies for one year.
$500	Sponsor a child for a school year.
$1,000	Pays for annual zoom accounts for online classes.
$10,000	Starting the pilot program – Women Entrepreneurs
$50,000	Reopens the daycare.

Centro Infantil is currently the only organization in San Miguel that exists specifically to serve both single mothers and their children, build resilience, and foster healthy relationships in homes that are free of violence.