[enraged_camel]

The other likely factor is that many schools are either still closed or are doing remote learning, which means many parents are stuck with having to look after their kids when they would otherwise be working.

edit: why the downvotes?

[throwaway_kufu]

Child care is a significant and major expense in the US, most of the people on HN that work for tech companies work for companies that more or less are openly hostile towards married employees with families, in fact anything less than a young single working willing to drink the company cool-aide often “isn’t a good culture fit”. But the average worker has additional costs that never get factored in just to work, transportation (for me that’s about $600/month), dry cleaning ($100), food (of course this can’t be negated entirely but is often more expensive while working outside the home).

The downvotes are because the haves want the have nots to shut up and get back to work for them. It’s the equivalent of taking legitimate points raised by workers and responding with stop being a smart ass.

[willcipriano]

This also factors into peoples calculations. If you suddenly have to pay for childcare there isn't much of a point to go back to work, even for 15 - 20 an hour.

[dragonwriter]

> The other likely factor is that many schools are either still closed or are doing remote learning, which means many parents are stuck with having to look after their kids when they would otherwise be working.

Also, many day cares are still “temporarily” closed, operating at reduced capacity, not taking new children, or have been permanently shuttered due to the pandemic.

[spamizbad]

Or are open one week, closed the next when someone in contact with a child contracts COVID. Rinse and repeat.