Mother's Day: Nearly 7.5 Million Mothers in Industries on the Pandemic's Frontline

This Sunday is the first Mother's Day celebrated during this global pandemic. In the United States, nearly 7.5 million workers in industries on the pandemic's frontline are mothers caring for minor children, according to a new analysis released today by the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR).

Mothers in Frontline Industries Deserve Better, by Hayley Brown, Hye Jin Rho, and Shawn Fremstad, shows that mothers make up a larger share of the frontline workforce than they do of the workforce as a whole, and are much more likely to come from low-income families.

That makes mothers in frontline industries doubly vulnerable during this crisis. They not only need adequate protection on the job, they need child and family benefits taken for granted in other rich countries, like adequate and affordable child care, early education, and a guaranteed federal paid leave policy that is permanent.

"What's good for frontline mothers is good for the nation," said co-author Hayley Brown. "These are not frivolous giveaways, they are necessary investments that the US will need to recover from this crisis and succeed in the future."