When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Canada in March 2020, schools across the country were shut within a few days. Children were homeschooled with varying levels of online support, which affected the working lives of many parents. Read More
In a recent study, researchers at the University of Quebec in Montreal, Vancouver School of Economics and Central European University asked: What impact did school closures and re-openings have on whether parents were employed and able to attend their jobs? And how did this differ for different groups of parents?
Schools in Canada re-opened when other restrictions were eased. However, these other restrictions were generally removed by the provincial governments, meaning they took effect at roughly the same time across the provinces. School re-openings, on the other hand, varied within provinces. This provided the research team with an opportunity to pinpoint the impact of students returning to school.
Using data from Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey, the team’s study compared the working patterns of parents with primary school children in regions where schools re-opened, and those where they remained closed.
Over 30% of Canadian workers have children under 12. This means that schooling has a vital economic role, and that parents’ ability to work affects Canada’s ability to deliver essential services. Previous research also suggests that prolonged school closures may slow down or reverse progression towards gender equality in the workforce.
The research team found that school re-openings in Canada had a positive impact on employment and the number of hours worked. This was the case in dual-parent households, but the effect was strongest for single mothers. For instance, in regions where schools remained open in 2021, the employment rate of single mothers was 17 percentage points higher than in regions where schools closed.
One year after the pandemic began, fathers’ employment measures had almost completely recovered, whereas those of mothers had only been partially restored. This means that the pandemic and resulting school closures exacerbated the gender gap in the Canadian workforce, reinforcing inequalities.
Re-opening schools during a pandemic is not without risks. However, the results of this study show that schools remaining open is essential for parents’ participation in the labour force, while other research suggests that school closures affect academic achievement.
Given this, the researchers argue that schools should be considered an essential service for children and parents, and should remain open.
