Opinion: As long as it's done right, a staged return to school makes good sense
The longer schools stay closed the bigger the impact on paid work. Parents who may be able to juggle additional responsibilities for a short period by cutting into leisure or sleep time will find it increasingly difficult to keep the balls in the air.
Pre-crisis time use data shows for heterosexual couple households with pre-teen children, Australian women did on average at least 80 per cent more unpaid household work – including caring and household tasks – than men. If those patterns are replicated for supervision of online schooling, then the pandemic will further magnify the motherhood career penalty.
So where should we start? The NSW government’s plan to bring students back initially one day a week, gradually increasing over time, is a pragmatic option. While teachers are understandably concerned about the health implications, reducing class sizes by around 75 per cent and staggering recess and lunch breaks will significantly improve the chance of effective social distancing. And the best recent evidence suggests that children are much less likely to contract COVID-19.
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