How The Pandemic Has Changed Women’s Attitudes Toward Motherhood

By April Brown

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused everyone to adjust their lives, including mothers. For many mothers the pandemic has brought additional pressures, as well as emotional and mental challenges to overcome especially to those who are battling for their child with the help of child custody lawyers. For a growing number of women, this has presented them with the opportunity to re-evaluate some of the assumptions they previously held about their roles as mothers and motherhood itself. 

Learning To Be Flexible

The lockdown restrictions imposed early on during the COVID-19 pandemic meant that mental burnout and fatigue increased significantly for many mothers. In part, many women found that the additional mental strain was due to their attempts to continue with routines and schedules during the pandemic which, rather than relieve stress, actually caused women to put more unnecessary pressure on themselves.

Instead, many mothers who previously stuck strictly to routines and schedules actually found that the simple act of ‘letting go’ was the most beneficial, not only for their own mental wellbeing, but also for their children. Rather than try to stick to prearranged schedules, women have found that taking a more flexible approach and attitude towards activities, as well as taking each day as it comes, has resulted in a more positive experience.

Balancing Work And Home Life

Learning how to effectively balance the new realities of home-work life has been one of the greatest hurdles facing many mothers during the pandemic. The pressure of maintaining high work standards and productivity, whilst being a full-time parent as well as an educator, has left many mothers feeling that there is simply no separation between their home, work and family lives.

When considering life beyond the pandemic, there are now many more women who would like to seek job opportunities which offer them more flexibility when it comes to their working hours. For instance, more mothers are now considering taking on part-time jobs as well as remote working opportunities.

Sharing Domestic Duties

Whether working full-time, part-time or being a stay-at-home-mom, the majority of domestic duties continue to largely fall to women to complete. However, during the pandemic there has been a shift towards domestic duties and chores being shared between both partners more equally. With both partners at home, it has become more widely accepted that the responsibility for domestic chores can and should be shared between both parties. For those with older children, encouraging them to participate in domestic duties has also become more commonplace.

Appreciating Family Time

Whilst the pandemic has inevitably caused additional stress and more challenges in terms of juggling motherhood and work, it has also created the opportunity for families to spend more time together. Ultimately, this has led many families to have the time to slow down and take time to enjoy being in each other’s company, doing activities together, such as playing board games, watching movies or going out for walks as a family. Moving forward, many women are now determined to create more opportunities for such quality family time as part of their normal weekly routines.

Being Kinder To Yourself 

Perhaps the biggest impact of the pandemic for women has been in regards to how they view themselves. Often, mothers place a great amount of pressure upon themselves to keep everything going, including themselves. However, the pandemic has allowed women to pause and re-evaluate their own wellbeing and self-care.

During the pandemic many mothers have come to realize the importance of being kinder to themselves and making time for their own wellbeing, such as having some time to themselves, to spend with friends or simply to have more sleep. For many, it has been an important opportunity to learn to lower previously high and daunting self-expectations and instead learn to celebrate small, everyday successes.

Reflection 

The pandemic has allowed many women to reconsider ways in which they can create more positive experiences not only for themselves, but also for their families. Whether it be through appreciating greater family time, embracing more flexibility, reconsidering working hours, sharing domestic duties or making time to address their own wellbeing, women’s attitudes towards motherhood has shifted slightly during the pandemic. For many, despite the hardships of this crisis, the positive changes they have learnt to embrace are ones which they hope to take with them beyond the pandemic.

April Brown is a successful freelance writer at Phdkingdom.com and Write my research proposal, where she specializes in writing about marketing and graphic design. She is also an editor at Coursework help blog. April is a passionate traveler, who loves to immerse herself in new places and cultures. A mother of two, April can often be found hiking with her family in her spare time.