Childcare-related work disruptions increased by a third during COVID-19Work disruptions related to a lack of childcare in 2020 increased by one-third relative to before the pandemic—especially for caregivers of children with special healthcare needs, low-income families, and those from racial minority groups, estimates a study published today in JAMA Pediatrics.University of North Carolina researchers studied the responses of caregivers of 49,546 children aged 5 years and younger to the 2016 to 2020 versions of the National Survey of Children's Health.
The 2020 survey covered July 2020 to January 2021 and asked whether participants had "to quit a job, not take a job, or greatly change [their] job because of problems with child care for this child."In 2020, 12.6% of children had a caregiver with a childcare-related job disruption, up from 9.4% in 2019 and 8.9% of those in the pooled 2016 to 2019 sample.
Nearly one quarter (24.8%) of children with special healthcare needs had a caregiver who experienced a work disruption due to a lack of childcare, up from 11.1% of caregivers of children without special needs.After adjustment, children with special healthcare needs were at a 2.7-fold higher risk of a caregiver having work disruptions than children without special needs (adjusted odds ratio [aOR, 2.73).
In 2020, all children were at a 1.4-fold higher risk of having a caregiver with a work disruption than in 2019 (aOR, 1.41). The interaction between 2020 and special-needs status didn't reach significance (aOR, 1.06).Men had lower chances of experiencing a childcare-related work disruption, while children aged 2 years or younger; Black, Asian, and multiracial children; low-income families; and those without two married