Many teenage girls took care of children and elderly relatives in addition to contributing financially to their households during the pandemic
remote schooling with their own coursework—cared for elderly relatives, and contributed financially to their households.
As a matter of necessity they also performed an enormous amount of emotional labor, attempting to keep their families’ spirits up during a difficult time—often at the expense of their ownJamese Logan, a 15-year-old based in Maryland, began caring for four of her cousins, all of whom are under 10 years old, after her aunt died of cancer earlier this year.
Yanica Mejias, another Maryland high schooler, doesn’t spend as much time at home, but that’s because she’s taking a nursing certification course and working partin addition to completing her schoolwork. She said she pays for her own phone bills and helps pay for the car insurance.