Pushing against gender roles, now that we’re all home together

Haley Swenson was quoted in the Washington Post about how gender norms around men and caregiving may change in light of the coronavirus and its impact on the workforce:

Another scenario is that opportunities for men to do more caregiving happen automatically as jobs shift. Haley Swenson, who studies men and care at New America, said most people organize their families in response to work routines and the economy, not fixed ideas about what men and women are. In the coming months, a staggering number of us will lose our jobs; health-care workers — the majority of whom are women — are going to be out of the house or exhausted; and workplaces will reduce or extend hours. All these factors will scramble home life. If couples end up adopting opposite schedules or nonstandard hours, fathers will probably do more child care and housework than average.