CHANGE IN TOTAL ACTUAL HOURS WORKED OF ONTARIO MOTHERS WITH CHILDREN (0-12 YRS) RELATIVE TO FEBRUARY 2020, BY FAMILY STATUS
10% 20%
-70% -60% -50% -40% -30% -20% -10% 0%
Feb-20 Mar-20 Apr-20 May-20 Jun-20 Jul-20 Aug-20 Sep-20 Oct-20 Nov-20 Dec-20 Jan-21 Feb-21 Mar-21 Apr-21 -
Mother in couple family w/ child <6 Mother in couple family w/ child 6-12 Single mother family w/ child <6 Single mother family w/ child 6-12
Source: Feb 2020 - April 2021 Labour Force Survey PUMF, calculations by D. Macdonald. Excludes self-employed. Seasonally adjusted.
demands on teacher’s time has increased ex- ponentially and yet there’s been no time to adjust. A third of all teachers are considering changing professions or retiring according to a CBC poll fielded last fall. Mothers are paying the price. A large
majority of women (71 percent) are already reporting being more anxious, depressed, isolated, overworked or ill because of the sig- nificant increase in unpaid labour, including child care and homeschooling, that has oc- curred over the past year. Stress and anxiety are even higher among
mothers living in poverty or from marginal- ized communities, those most impacted by the economic crisis – waiting for the next shoe to drop as the recovery stops and starts, rental evictions proceed, and infections con- tinue to circulate.
WHAT’S NEEDED: AN INTERSECTION- AL FEMINIST RECOVERY PLAN
What’s needed is a clear analysis and plan of action that centres care and well-being. This includes investments in child care, a funda- mental support to children and families as well as the larger economic recovery, and in education and other female-dominated sec- tors such as long-term care and community services. These investments will not only en- hance quality of life, but strengthen our so- ciety over the long term, tackling the sources of systemic discrimination and better posi-
34 ETFO VOICE | SUMMER 2021
tioning us to effectively respond to crises and excel in new ways. On this score, historic investments in child
care of $30 billion over five years, announced in the federal 2021 budget but dependent on negotiations with the provinces and territo- ries, could be a game changer for women and their families across the country. Combined with other strategic investments, it represents an historic opportunity to set women’s eco- nomic recovery on a strong course, boosting participation rates and household incomes, enhancing the quality of care economy jobs, closing damaging gender pay gaps and gen- erating inclusive economic growth. The proposed multi-year plan will help
stabilize the current child care system and support the expansion of high quality, non-profit, affordable child care. The gov- ernment has set a target of reducing aver- age fees by 50 percent in all provinces and territories outside of Quebec by the end of 2022 and set aside additional funds to sup- port training and enhanced accessibility for children with disabilities. Budget 2021 also promises investments
of $2.5 billion in skills and training that in- cludes a commitment to create 500,000 train- ing and work opportunities over the next five years, targeting support to those from under- represented groups, including women, per- sons with disabilities and Indigenous people, as well as stronger protections for gig work-
ers and a minimum wage of $15/hour for workers in federally-regulated industries. These actions all strengthen community
infrastructure and are key to enabling wom- en’s active participation in the economic and social life. The question at this juncture, months away from a potential federal elec- tion, is will the promise of this budget be re- alized? Will investments improve the work- ing conditions and abysmally low wages of care workers? Advocates know that there is still much hard work ahead. “The virus punishes half-heartedness,”
German chancellor Angela Merkel has not- ed. Yet half-hearted measures are exactly what we’ve seen from governments across the country. There is an opportunity for a fundamen-
tal reset at hand. Teachers are already step- ping forward, pushing back against domi- nant narratives that there is nothing to be done, calling out the hypocrisy of govern- ment responses and extending mutual aid and support to those most in need. But they can’t do it alone. It is long past
time for all of us – and especially our govern- ments – to treat the pandemic like the emer- gency it is and take the action needed to build back better. n
Katherine Scott is Senior Economist, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
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