I actually disagree with this part: "The particular struggle reflects the most privileged perspective — that of two fully employed adults, sharing the burden, without fear of losing our jobs."<p>While this is hardly an unenviable position, and may be better off than most, I don't think two people who need to work full time represents the most "privileged" position. In this case, a family with a stable and sufficient income from a single primary earner, with the other free to handle the sudden increase in demands of child care, really would be a better position.<p>"But it’s precisely the privilege of this vantage point that in a way makes it so stark. This is the best-case scenario?"<p>No, this isn't the best case scenario. It's hardly the worst, but the difficulties here are absolutely the result of the two income trap. I don't know their exact situation, but plenty of middle class people would face eviction or foreclosure within 6-12 months, maybe less, if either spouse lost their job and couldn't find another. There isn't much wiggle room left.
This is well put. But of course it will end, and us privileged few will go back to our regular routines and our babysitters will return to work and take care of our kids after school and we'll adjust and the kids will be fine.<p>The longer it goes on, the more chance there is that this novel pain shared by us lucky few will motivate some structural changes that will make life more bearable for the less privileged people for whom these kinds of tensions and juggling are nothing new.<p>But... I doubt it. Nothing is working. My wife's 12 person company is struggling, and will probably fail, to get a PPP loan for utterly moronic procedural reasons and saturation of the system. Extended unemployment benefits seem to have been calculated to run out around the time that the average person will be able to file a claim. Businesses are evaporating everywhere, completely undermining the bedrock of the economy. There is no sense of anything from government (any part of it) other than getting back to business as usual - why? So we can do this again in the fall? In a few years' time when another displaced wild animal spits on a market trader?<p>Couldn't two trillion dollars - not even a once per generation level of expenditure - have been more effectively employed to build some resilience in the system?<p>The city is sacked by barbarians; they leave, and the survivors hold a feast instead of building a wall.
It would be easier if families stopped the rat race and stopped sending two parents to careers. career minded people could pair up with home-minded people instead of striving for dual incomes. In good times those home minded people could use their free time to be pillars of the community.
Leaving work for childcare is currently a valid reason to go on unemployment. They should try to work this out with one of their employers. They could each go down to 50% time and pay and be supplemented by unemployment currently. There is a lot of flexibility they aren't taking advantage of and then complaining about how hard it is.
Just like the supply chain the family structure has shifted to a a just in time no margin system with child care outsourced to the most efficient location. When the childcare system gets taken offline there isn’t enough capacity to handle work and childcare and rent something is going to get dropped
Article is spot on. After a few weeks we broke quarenteen and flew to stay with the grandparents. We are lucky the grandparents are youngish and able to help.