Women reported that they performed most of the parental tasks in their household during the pandemic, including homeschooling
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Released: 2020-12-14
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives of children and their families in many ways. For many children, the closures of childcare facilities and schools has significantly disrupted their daily routines and, for parents, this has resulted in increased caregiving responsibilities.
Using data from the third web panel survey, the Canadian Perspectives Survey Series 3: Resuming Economic and Social Activities during COVID-19, conducted from June 15 to 21, 2020, a new study released today examines gender differences in the self-reported division of parental tasks during the pandemic.
Women reported that they were the ones who mostly performed the parental tasks in their household during the pandemic, including homeschooling. Further, employment status and work location affected the division of parental tasks within couples. For example, men who worked from home reported a more equal division of parenting tasks, but it was the opposite for women who worked from home as they were less likely to report sharing tasks equally and more likely to take on the bulk of the parenting responsibilities.
Note to readers
Statistics Canada's new Canadian Perspectives Survey Series (CPSS) is a probabilistic panel survey based on a subsample of respondents selected from the Labour Force Survey. The CPSS is representative of the general population.
There have been five waves of the CPSS so far. This analysis is based on data from Series 3, which was conducted from June 15 to 21.
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For more details, readers are invited to consult "Caring for their children: Impacts of COVID-19 on parents," available as part of the series StatCan COVID-19: Data to Insights for a Better Canada (45280001).
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; STATCAN.infostats-infostats.STATCAN@canada.ca) or Media Relations (613-951-4636; STATCAN.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.STATCAN@canada.ca).
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