We’re continuing to explore the impact of the pandemic on moms. Last week we discussed the significant increase inperinatal mood and anxiety disorders.This week we’re looking at the stress moms are facing and the rise in alcohol use among women.
Why Moms Are So Stressed
The pandemic has been tough on everyone, but women with children are feeling stressed to the max. The numbers say it all; 1 in 3 working women are the primary caregiver for their children. While a number of people are able to work from home, essential workers don’t have that ability. Guess what? 1 in 3 jobs held by women are considered essential; more than three-quarters of healthcare and social work jobs are held by women and more than two-thirds of grocery store and fast food workers are women. To make things more difficult, of the 5.8 million people in healthcare jobs that pay less than $30,000 per year, 83% are women and half are nonwhite.
So what do all of these stats tell us?
Working moms are responsible for caring for their children and doing essential jobs that require them to be out of the home, which leaves many moms in the position of deciding whether to leave their children at home alone in order to go to work. For the moms who are able to work from home, they don’t have to worry about finding a babysitter, but they are trying to juggle work while caring for their kids and possibly managing remote school on top of it all. At the end of the day, women are left with choosing between their career and their children. So it’s no surprise, almost 1 million women have left the workforce; Black, Hispanic and single moms have left in the highest numbers.
Coinciding with all of this stress is increased alcohol use, especially heavy drinking, among ALL women not just moms.This behavior has been trending upwards for the past two decades, which is a cause for concern.
Research shows, flavors including menthol, are hooking kids on tobacco products.
81% of youth and 86% of young adults who ever used tobacco—even once or twice in their lifetimes—reported that the first tobacco product they used was flavored, according to data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study
The same study found, there is a 13% higher prevalence of current tobacco use for youth whose first tobacco product was flavored compared to youth whose first tobacco product was not flavored, according to the same study. You can learn more at Flavors Hook Kids Connecticut.
The Campaign for the Culture is an initiative of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids focused on uniting, empowering, educating and engaging people of color and other targeted communities around critical healthcare and human rights issues connected to tobacco use, with the goal of inspiring young community members to avoid or quit tobacco use. Register now for the first event on February 24th.
Wellness Resources
Find wellness tips and get connected to local services to help you cope with life during the pandemic. Learn more at ctstronger.org.
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