Type of Work
Research Paper
Publication Date
Winter 2-1-2021
Description
Though our project titled Unintentional Homeschoolers: Navigating At-Home Learning and Care During a Global Pandemic initially began in May 2020, the continuation of this project in January 2021 enabled us to draw data from across diverse race and class backgrounds. I, alongside three interviewers and Professor Mahala Stewart, had the opportunity to talk with 22 mothers about their daily schedules, social life adjustments, the division of household chores, and their general feelings regarding mothering under COVID-19. While the study taught us a number of things like the toll parenting and employment under a global pandemic has on mothers’ mental health, the one thing I believe was incredibly important to highlight was how these women, regardless of their race and class, had become the unsung heroines of COVID-19. The vulnerability and honesty present in their stories are a testament of how difficult being a mother can be in a time where the feeling of solitude and subconscious sentiments of guilt are belittled and perceived as weak by external audiences. For this reason, this blog works to make the invisible visible: Mothers are resilient, caring, and strong, and in the same way that we applaud for healthcare workers and teachers, we must applaud for mothers as well.
Hamilton Areas of Study
Sociology
Hamilton Sponsoring Organization
Levitt Public Affairs Center
Hamilton Scholarship Series
Levitt Winter Research Group Grant
Hamilton Faculty Advisor
Mahala Stewart