SE Grand Rapids News

Michigan Rep. Julie Calley (R-Portland) has been hearing from employees and employers about the disproportionate effects of COVID-19 on women in the workplace, according to a Facebook post by Calley from September.

According to Calley, working mothers have had to bear a disproportionate burden during the COVID-19 pandemic. From a decrease in available childcare providers to schools going to a remote-only education format, the demands on single parents have skyrocketed.

Many women work in industries that were the hardest hit by the impact of the pandemic, including the health care, education and hospitality. Women also bear disproportionate responsibility for caring for young children, as well as being caregivers for aging parents.

Calley cited a survey that Shape Corporation from Grand Haven conducted as testimony of the realities of being a mother working in manufacturing. In a response to the survey, a mother said that she asked to be switched to third shift to work at night because her kids’ school offered only virtual education. The woman has to help educate her children by day and she works all night.

“I respect the drive and determination it takes to be a working mother. I am committed to providing them with better support,” said Calley on her Facebook post.