Dana Sumpter Authors Op-ed in Professional Woman's Magazine on Dual-Career Households Challenges During COVID-19
As of 2019 there were nearly 45 million working parents in the U.S. with 15 million
being a part of a dual-career household. During the pandemic many households were
under tremendous pressure to work, care for their children, assist with distant learning,
attend to household needs, and do their jobs. In summer 2020 Dana Sumpter and her
colleague Mona Zanhour conducted a study interviewing 54 working mothers to learn
more about who’s job wins in a dual-career household. Sumpter sheds light on how gender
stereotypes affect many workplace norms, such as how women are given performance feedback
and how they are paid. These stereotypes also affect the home life where women are
more likely to take on their “second shift” of unpaid work at home. Using her research
findings, Sumpter and Zanhour share three tips on how working mothers can negotiate
more time and space to do their jobs and regain control at work and home.
The full article is available at Professional Woman’s Magazine website or Professional Woman’s Magazine Spring 2021 print edition.