Who's looking after the kids?

Published on 27 May 2020

How much time have children spent learning from home? Are mothers and fathers sharing the responsibility equally?

The coronavirus crisis has caused drastic changes to most parents’ work lives and other responsibilities. Millions of adults have lost or are forecast to lose their jobs permanently; many more have stopped work temporarily. Others are newly working from home, while many key workers are experiencing additional pressures and risks in their work.

For most parents, school and childcare closures have meant that children are at home, and requiring care, for at least an extra six hours a day.

How much time have children spent learning from home? Are mothers and fathers sharing the responsibility equally? How is this affecting families' use of time? In this episode of IFS Zooms In, we speak to IFS Senior Research Economists Alison Andrew and Christine Farquharson, and ask who is looking after the kids?