COVID-19 Women and Home Schooling

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Photo: Nonqaba waka Msimang.

Urban women might revert to roles they had fifty years ago, if COVID-19 makes it difficult for kids to be safe in school.

There is no doubt about legal equality of the sexes in industrialized countries like Canada and U.S. but the reality is, when it comes to kids, women feel the pain more than men. 

Zulu is a language spoken mainly in southern Africa and this is how women put it: ku ya sika (it cuts). When a child cries, the woman is reminded of labour pains she experienced to bring it to this world.

Schools have their phone numbers in case kids get sick. They go shopping for school uniforms. They schedule birthday parties. They drive here and there to drop off and pick up kids for school related events.

In other parts of the world, raising kids is not a problem because mothers are primary caregivers aided by aunts, female cousins, neighbors and grandmothers.

Grandmothers are super important because they are the granary of knowledge and have command of the original language. They are not only language experts, but teach kids social graces, like respect as well.

Then comes immigration. What certain cultures do, is bring grandmothers to Canada to take care of kids, while both parents work. That is why you can never see mothers of such cultures pushing strollers/prams. Grandmothers are at home raising kids.

Mainstream Canadian women do not have such luxury. They hold jobs, run the home and make sure that school requirements are met. That is why COVID-19 might force some of them to abandon careers and stay home to bring up kids.

Salaries. Women still earn less than men, so it will be easier to convince women to resign and take care of kids. Some women might even volunteer to be full-time homemakers.

Some women enjoy being at home but wouldn’t dare admit it because society frowns upon it. We are in the thick of things, COVID-19 things. It threatens society as we know it and parents are scared for their kids.

Those that decide to stop working and teach their kids at home are s/heroes. Yes, s/heroes because most of them will be women.

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.

 

 

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