How Mothers WFH Are Negotiating What’s Normal

We continue tracking the ways the pandemic is impacting women’s lives and careers, and discuss how to not only manage the challenges but also shape a more equitable future. Guests: Kathleen McGinn and Katherine Goldstein.

Many months into the pandemic, we examine the effects working from home is having on the ways housework and childcare get done there. Forced togetherness and relentless negotiations for space and time are creating a more even division of labor within some families, which may lead to career gains for mothers.

Harvard Business School professor Kathleen McGinn highlights findings from her ongoing research on how working parents are reconsidering and shifting their roles and responsibilities. Then, we discuss how women are navigating those negotiations and pushing for a more equitable future with two working mothers with young children at home: HBR.org editor Maureen Hoch and Katherine Goldstein, host of the podcast The Double Shift.

Our HBR reading list:

“Why WFH Isn’t Necessarily Good for Women,” by Herminia Ibarra et al.
“Don’t Let the Pandemic Set Back Gender Equality,” by Deepa Mahajan et al.
“Gender Equity Starts in the Home,” by David G. Smith and W. Brad Johnson
“How to Let Go of Working-Mom Guilt,” by Sheryl G. Ziegler

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