The gender gap is widening again due to brand-new challenges posed by the pandemic where women are taking the brunt of the burden. Our Facing Fear research found that parenthood is exacerbating these issues, as some moms are being forced to wear even more hats than they normally do. Our CEO Rebecca Brooks writes about our latest research covering these issues in her latest Forbes column, “The Parenthood Gap: Gender, Parenting And Fear During The Pandemic.”

Moms Are Shouldering More Work

In the article, she acknowledges that even before COVID-19, our research found that moms were less confidence and more anxious than dads. However, our research in the midst of the pandemic (June 2020) showed an uptick in these metrics, as moms faced ever-increasing challenges surrounding juggling parenting, work and inherent worries about the well-being of their  children and family. She writes, “men continue to track with higher levels of confidence and optimism than women. Current events, while affecting everyone, seem to have a greater negative impact on women’s state of mind.”

Our research indicated that the burden of childcare and schooling is falling primarily on mothers, which other research has found is having a significant impact on their place in the workforce. “Some studies show that women are 1.8 times more likely to lose their jobs during the pandemic, as they attempt to juggle an ever-increasing load of responsibilities.” Moms are also very worried and fearful about many things, 30% more overall than dads.

How Brands Can Balance the Scale

Rebecca touches on some best practices for brands and businesses as one of their key audiences – mothers – comes under pressure. These include:

• Staying in touch through frequent communications
• Understanding their needs by including them in your consumer research
• Boostng comfort and certainty by providing adequate information
• Demonstrating solidarity in messaging

She concludes by calling on brand managers to make cleaer “that you are there to support them when everything around them feels uncertain.”

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Our Facing Fear Research Series

Drawing on world-class analysis from researchers at Alter Agents and commentary by thought leaders in economics, political science, and psychology, this reporting series is a must-read to understand the consumer mindset entering the second year of the pandemic.

Facing Fear: Understanding Anxious Consumers
Facing Fear: Consumer Anxiety in 2020
Facing Fear: Overcoming Consumer Anxiety

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