Covid-19 has taken a toll on everyone, but some are experiencing it harder than others.

Covid-19 has taken a toll on everyone, but some are experiencing it harder than others. 

Good afternoon, 

Celia Jiménez here, thinking about how hard it is to juggle work and life in normal times, especially for parents—and how much harder it is for working parents now. I don’t have kids, but parents I interviewed for a recent story describe a lifestyle that seems exhausting, and it is showing. 

According to the Census Bureau, about 1 in 5 working-age adults said they weren’t working because of changes in childcare arrangements due to Covid-19. Working-age women with children were more anxious than men: 36.9 percent versus 30 percent. They were also more worried, 33.3 percent versus 25.3 percent.

One of those moms is Maria Sandoval, also a daycare provider, and she has faced different challenges since the pandemic started. The first one is a doubled workload, since her kids and the school-age kids she takes care of are home all day long doing online learning, but her income didn’t double. She had to buy pricer internet to run 13 computers to make sure kids under her care could attend online classes. “My brain hurt from so much pressure,” she says in Spanish. 

Sandoval’s second challenge came when she had to close her daycare for five weeks after she, along with four family members, tested positive for Covid-19 right after Christmas. 

Lastly, despite having 14 days of supplemental paid sick leave, she had to borrow money to cover rent and other expenses, and relied on food drives to feed herself and her family. Her business is up running again, but Sandoval is still recovering financially. 

According to a study by the Maven Clinic, burnout percentages were higher among Black and Latina mothers compared to white moms. In Monterey County, many of them are farmworkers and they are three times more likely to contract Covid-19 than workers from other industries, according to a research by California Institute for Rural Studies. Maritza Martinez, a mother of five, worries about that every time she goes to harvest fruits and vegetables.

Moms on the Central Coast and around the U.S. are doing what they can to keep afloat while working, taking care of their children and dealing with a pandemic. They are doing the best they can, but they also need help. If you or someone you know is feeling stressed, you can call the CalHOPE warm line (833-317-HOPE (4673)). Or offer support personally—cook them a meal, make plans to hang out virtually or have a conversation over the phone.

-Celia Jiménez, staff writer, celia@mcweekly.com