Jen McGowan, Runaway
Jen McGowan (she/her)
Runaway, January 2021
Digital Collage
8.5x11"
The pandemic has made many of the inequalities faced by mothers more visible. At the beginning of the pandemic when school went online, the domestic duties were more heavily on my shoulders. As well, some of the male/female inequities that are usually less obvious were easier to see. For example, the value society places on certain jobs rather than others became clear. In my household where my husband is the main breadwinner, daily parenting and domestic duties fell to me, and his role his identity as important contributor to society was rewarded financially and with the implication that his time is worth more than mine. Though I was teaching online, there was no way he could do his job with them in the room, so it fell to me to manage both parent and teacher roles. And yet, as many
articles have pointed to, there was no compensation for juggling work remotely with domestic duties, homeschooling, and general child rearing. There seemed to be an expectation that these labours were a mother¹s burden even in Enlightened partnerships.
Now that the pandemic has become the new normal, our relationship has regained a sense of balance through conversation and adjusting our approach to the division of labour.
@jenmcgowanart