BOSTON (SHNS) – The Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women plans to release a report Thursday that it says will look at issues “relating to the child care and education crisis brought on by COVID-19, and its impact on women and working parents in Massachusetts.”
The report is based on hearing testimony and survey data, and the commission said it would share the report and policy recommendations with elected officials. More than 4,000 people responded to a survey the commission conducted through email and social media in September, and more than 60 people participated in a virtual public hearing.
Almost half of the respondents “experienced a direct impact on their employment status because availability to childcare and education,” the commission said.
“We are hearing about – and many of us are experiencing – increased stress levels related to the impossible task of simultaneously working and providing care at pre-COVID levels, and we are particularly concerned about the experiences of women at the margins of society who may be without the support of a safety net,” said commission Chair Denella Clark. “It is time that we as a Commonwealth understand that early education, care, and school are essential components to every family’s and the Commonwealth’s economic health and stability.”
The commission plans to hold a legislative briefing at noon on Thursday, which will stream on its Facebook page.
