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Coronavirus: Bulk of childcare and household chores fall to mothers in lockdown

Working mothers are bearing the brunt of the new workload during lockdown, a new study has revealed
Mothers are spending more time on home schooling since the lockdown began in March
Mothers are spending more time on home schooling since the lockdown began in March

According to a report published today (27 May) by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), mothers have taken on far more childcare and household chores than fathers since lockdown began in March. Not only are they more likely than fathers to be spending their work hours simultaneously trying to care for children, they are also far more likely to be interrupted during paid working hours.

The online survey of 3,500 families in England looks at how two opposite-gender parents are sharing paid work and domestic responsibilities during the crisis. For most parents, school and childcare closures have meant that children are at home, and requiring care, for at least an extra six hours a day.

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