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30 September 2020 / Antonia Felix
Issue: 7904 / Categories: Opinion , Covid-19 , Profession , Equality
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Working from home—shared care at last?

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Antonia Felix looks at the impact of lockdown on parents’ working lives

In brief

  • Compares the experiences of mothers and fathers during lockdown, in terms of time spent on paid work and parenting or domestic tasks.
  • Asks whether there could be a long-term shift in attitudes among parents and employers.

For most families trying to achieve a happy, healthy family life among the demands of work and other external factors is a constant balancing act. Add the experience of lockdown to the mix and we’re juggling more than ever, with childcare, remote working and the general anxieties that flow from the COVID-19 crisis.

While schools, offices and non-essential shops have re-opened, a significant number of people will continue to work from home, many for the foreseeable future. The situation may evolve in a number of ways and, for separated parents, the question arises as to whether they can, and should, be more creative with the arrangements for their children.

Many people now live in an altered reality. With both parents at home, there is a rare opportunity

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NEWS
Talk of a reserved ‘Welsh seat’ on the Supreme Court is misplaced. In NLJ this week, Professor Graham Zellick KC explains that the Constitutional Reform Act treats ‘England and Wales’ as one jurisdiction, with no statutory Welsh slot
The government’s plan to curb jury trials has sparked ‘jury furore’. Writing in NLJ this week, David Locke, partner at Hill Dickinson, says the rationale is ‘grossly inadequate’
A year after the $1.5bn Bybit heist, crypto fraud is booming—but so is recovery. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Holloway, founder and CEO of M2 Recovery, warns that scams hit at least $14bn in 2025, fuelled by ‘pig butchering’ cons and AI deepfakes
After Woodcock confirmed no general duty to warn, debate turns to the criminal law. Writing in NLJ this week, Charles Davey of The Barrister Group urges revival of misprision or a modern equivalent
Family courts are tightening control of expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Chris Pamplin says there is ‘no automatic right’ to call experts; attendance must be ‘necessary in the interests of justice’ under FPR Pt 25
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