In the last year being a stay-at-home Mom has reached new levels! Due to the restrictions of the pandemic, many women have had to leave the U.S. workforce in 2020 .
In fact, the National Woman's Law Center reports that that number to be more than 2 million! Why?
Industries that employ a lot of women, such as hospitality and leisure, have fared worse during the pandemic. Also, women are more likely to take on the in-home responsibilities, such as homeschooling and home caring.
Plus, moms are more than three times likely than men to shoulder most of the housework and caregiving, according to McKinsey's and LeanIn's Women in the Workplace report.
A new movement is calling on the Biden Administration to create a task force dedicated to implementing a "Marshall Plan for Moms," to pay mothers for their unpaid, unseen labor and to pass policies addressing parental leave, affordable childcare, and pay equity.
The letter to President Biden was signed by fifty women and printed in a full-page ad in the New York Times, led by Girls Who Code founder and CEO Reshma Saujani,
Here's The letter that was published:
"Dear President Biden:
You know this well: moms are the bedrock of society. And we’re tired of working for free.
We need a Marshall Plan for Moms -- Now
Like the original Marshall Plan of 1948, this plan would be a financial investment in rebuilding from the ground up.
COVID has decimated so many of our careers. Two million of us have left the workforce, at a rate of four times that of men in September alone. Millions more have been forced to cut back our hours or work around the clock to keep our jobs and be full-time caregivers.
This is not an isolated incident -- it is a national crisis. You didn’t create this problem, but your administration has an opportunity to fix it. In your first 100 days, we’re asking you to:
Establish a task force to create a Marshall Plan for Moms.
Implement a short-term monthly payment to moms depending on needs and resources.
Pass long overdue policies like paid family leave, affordable childcare and pay equity.
Sound crazy? It’s not.
It’s time to put a dollar figure on our labor. Motherhood isn’t a favor and it’s not a luxury. It’s a job.
The first 100 days are an opportunity to define our values. So let’s start by valuing moms."
For more information and to add your name to the list visit www.marshallplanformoms.com.