Return to school a 'false choice' for many families

Though decision day may loomfor some Ottawa parents, for many, the question of whether to send their kids back to school in Septemberis moot, according to one equality advocate.

"They've been given ultimately a false choice," said Valerie Stam, executive director of the City for All Women Initiative (CAWI), a group that champions inclusiveness and gender equity in eastern Ontario.

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Stam said though many families are being told theyhave the choice between classroom instruction and online learning in September, the hard reality formany is that there's no choice at all.

"For many of them, if they're essential workers they can't tell their employer that they're choosing to keep their kids at home if there'sa choice to send them to school," Stam said.

Economy needs a 'she-covery'

Pointing to an RBC study published last month,Stam said single mothers have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.The bank's research found the employment rate for single mothers is down 12 per cent,while that of single fathers is down seven per cent.

Stamsaid many women are relying on the return to school to resume full-time work. She said for women working in the gig economywhere benefits are scarce,there's no option to continue helping their kids learn from home, especially once federal aid programs dry up.

Stam said the coronavirus pandemic has laid bare the need for a widespread economic "she-covery" for women, and this is just one more example.

"There will be no economic recovery without looking through a gendered lens,[or] without a serious discussion of child care and what that means," she said.

Families under pressure

For security worker Eric Quesnel, the only factor driving his decision right now is money.

The 37-year old has been at home with his kids, agesnine and six, since schools closed in March. His wife, who works as a property manager, is currently the family's sole source of income.

Quesnelis worried about the health risks his children will face when they return to school, especially if there'sa second wave of COVID-19. But he said with thefamily's finances running on fumes, there's no choice but to send them back.

"We have to keep in mind, whose kids are going to the school? It's not going to be the government worker. It's going to be the food worker, the delivery worker, the security guard the 'essential workers' that we've been praising since the start of this," he said.