The Pandemic’s Lasting Impact on Moms: How COVID Set Gender Equity Back`

Moms, we see you. The planners, the multitaskers, the ones juggling work, school schedules, soccer practices, and making sure everyone has at least one vegetable on their plate. If you’re the CEO of your household, you’re not alone. And if you’re a dad reading this who shares the load (or even takes the lead), we salute you. But here’s the truth: even in 2023, moms are still doing more—more childcare, more household management, and more emotional labor. And while we’ve made progress, COVID-19 set us back in ways we didn’t expect.

Just last week, Pew Research released its first post-pandemic report on Parenting in America, and let’s just say—it’s not looking great for moms. The report confirms what many of us have felt all along: moms are more stressed, more judged, and carrying more of the parenting load than dads, who often believe things are shared equally. Moms are the chief schedulers, caregivers, and emotional support systems for their families, while dads are more likely to see themselves as the disciplinarians.

So what now? First, we talk about it. Then, we change it. That’s where S’moresUp comes in—your digital sidekick for sharing the mental load, making chores visible, and balancing the household workload once and for all.

What the Research Tells Us: The Chore Gap Has Gotten Worse

Even before the pandemic, moms were doing more. But when schools shut down, daycare options disappeared, and remote work blurred the boundaries between personal and professional life, the imbalance in household responsibilities intensified.

• Mothers are more stressed than ever. They worry more than fathers about their children’s mental health, bullying, and safety.
• Moms feel judged. Parenting isn’t just about raising kids anymore—it’s about being scrutinized for every decision.
• Moms see parenting as a core part of their identity. 35% of moms say parenting is the most important part of who they are, compared to only 24% of dads.
• Who does more? Moms still lead in scheduling, school support, emotional care, feeding, and household management. Meanwhile, dads feel things are more balanced—even when data suggests otherwise.

Sound familiar? We see these patterns every day in our S’moresUp community, where 80% of users are moms looking for ways to simplify home management and distribute responsibilities more fairly.

‍“When we started S’moresUp, we thought we were building a tool to manage chores. What we quickly realized is that we were creating a platform to balance the mental load of parenting—because moms were overwhelmingly the ones doing it all.” – Priya Rajendran, Founder of S’moresUp

And you don’t just have to take our word for it.

We Had ChatGPT Summarize This Like a Millennial Mom Would!

We took the liberty of using ChatGPT to capture the essence of the Pew Research report, but through the lens of a millennial mom. Think of this as a group chat rant with your best mom friends—emoji overload included.

Hey fam! 🙋 OMG, the #MomLife is so real! Let’s break it down:

• 🤔 Worries & Stress: Moms are way more stressed about our kiddos’ mental health, bullying, and safety. Anxiety? Depression? We’re out here losing sleep over it. 😰 And hands up if you’ve ever felt judged for your parenting style? 🙋♀️ Yep, me too.
• 💁♀️ Parenting Style: So, apparently, we moms are a bit overprotective 🛡️ (guilty as charged! 😂). We give in too soon 🍭, while dads? They’re chill and sometimes give too much freedom 🎈. But hey, at least we’re always cheering on our little ones. 🎉
• 🤱 Identity & Parenting: Being a parent isn’t just a thing—it’s THE thing. For most of us, parenting is a huge part of who we are. But guess what? More moms (35%) say it’s THE most important thing in their identity compared to dads (24%). 🌟
• 🤔 Worries & Stress (Again! Because it never ends!): Mental health, bullying, safety. We’re carrying it all while trying to keep our households from falling apart. 😰
• 🥰 Aspirations & Goals: We all want our kids to be hardworking, honest, and kind—but moms? We really value raising open-minded, accepting, and helpful humans. 🌍👫
• 🙄 Who Does More?: Ah, the age-old debate! Most moms feel like we’re the CEOs of parenting—running schedules 📆, schoolwork 📚, emotional support 🤗, and daily basics like feeding and bathing 🍼🛁. Dads? They think things are 50-50, but they also see themselves as Chief Disciplinarians 🚫.
• 😓 The Hard Reality: If you’re a mom and feel like parenting is harder than you thought, you’re not alone. Especially if you’re the one managing schedules or being the main emotional support. ❤️ And let’s not forget how the pandemic turned moms into full-blown superheroes. 🦸♀️

Stay strong, mamas! We got this! 💪❤️

Back to Reality: The Pandemic Magnified the Gender Gap

As funny (and painfully relatable) as that summary is, the reality behind it is serious. The pandemic reshaped parenting, and not in the way we had hoped. Instead of progressing toward gender equity, we took a step back.

• Moms took on more childcare duties. In 2020, mothers’ daily childcare responsibilities increased from 6.5 hours (2019) to 7.9 hours (2020). While fathers’ time increased slightly, it wasn’t enough to close the gap.
• Mothers working full-time still carried the heavier load. Remote work didn’t equalize responsibilities—it blurred the lines between work and home, making it harder for moms to step away from household duties.
• Many moms left the workforce entirely. With the added pressures of childcare, a record number of women had to choose between career and family—a decision that most men never had to make.

The numbers don’t lie. This isn’t just a feeling—it’s a fact.

‍“The pandemic exposed a hard truth: the gender gap at home is still very real. If we want real gender equality in the workplace, it has to start at home first.” – Reeves Xavier, Co-Creator of S’moresUp

S’moresUp: A Solution for Balancing Responsibilities at Home

We built S’moresUp to take the friction out of household management, and that’s never been more important than now.

• No more invisible labor. Our app makes tasks visible, structured, and shareable so responsibilities don’t default to one person.
• Chores get assigned fairly. Instead of moms silently managing everything, S’moresUp automates and rotates tasks.
• Kids take on responsibility early. Teaching kids lifelong accountability helps prevent future generations from falling into the same patterns.
• Fewer reminders, less stress. AI-driven tracking means no more mental checklists, no more nagging—just a fair division of labor.

Balancing the household workload isn’t just about lightening moms’ load—it’s about teaching our kids what fairness looks like, so they grow up expecting equality.The Call to Action: It Starts in Our HomesThe pandemic widened the gender gap at home, but it also created an opportunity to fix it.Here’s what we can do today:

1. Acknowledge the imbalance. The first step is recognizing that moms are carrying more—even when it may not feel like it to dads.
2. Have open conversations. Sit down as a family and ask: Who does what? Is the load shared fairly?
3. Use S’moresUp to track tasks. When chores are visible, they’re more likely to be distributed fairly—and stay that way.
4. Encourage workplace support. If you’re an employer, offer flexible options that recognize the additional home responsibilities many employees, especially moms, are juggling.
5. Push for systemic change. Advocate for family-friendly policies—in schools, workplaces, and government.

A More Equal Future Starts at Home

If we want true gender equity in the workplace, we have to start by creating gender equity at home. When moms do less invisible labor, they have more time, energy, and freedom to fully participate in work, hobbies, and personal growth.

At S’moresUp, we’re committed to helping families balance the load, so parenting doesn’t feel like a one-person job.

It’s time to stop saying “moms just do more” and start asking, “how do we make this fair?”

So, tell us: How are household responsibilities divided in your home? Let’s start the conversation.

🚀 Download S’moresUp today and start building a more balanced home.

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