疫情之下上班族育儿难
Working parents struggle A staggering 25 percent of working parents are considering giving up their jobs, or cutting down their hours, so they can better look after their offspring during the novel coronavirus lockdown, according to a new study. Researchers from Trinity McQueen market research company found 69 percent of working parents in the UK have struggled to balance their working lives with the demands of children who are spending long hours at home and who often need home schooling. Many parents said they could not find alternative childcare arrangements during the government-mandated lockdown aimed at restricting people-to-people contact and limiting the spread of COVID-19 disease. Simpson Millar, lawyers specializing in education issues, said the findings show a feared second wave of infections and a return to a full lockdown could have a disastrous effect on families that are already struggling to cope. Many parents feel alone because they have had little support from schools. About 45 percent of the 1,001 parents who took part in the survey told researchers their mental health had been impacted by having their children at home for such a prolonged period. Of those parents, 871 held down jobs. About one-fifth said they did not hold out hope that their employer would help with childcare arrangements. |