Riding the Waves

As I write these words, it seems yet another wave of the pandemic is upon us. My three children are working in adjoining rooms, peering at screens, as we all navigate the strange world of online schooling. Every now and then, someone will holler for help, and I’ll put the task of composing aside to rummage through drawers for art supplies or to field another question about long division. These mundane interruptions have made up the fabric of everyday life for the better part of a year now. And while parents on the whole have suffered some major career disruptions, mothers are bearing the brunt of the burden.

The data tells the story of the price we’re paying. A report from RBC Economics, for example, describes the blow to women’s employment in Canada as “unprecedented.” In just the first two months of the pandemic, 1.5 million women lost their jobs. In April 2020, women’s participation in the Canadian workforce fell to 55 percent, a level not seen since 1986...