The state of motherhood is strained, survey suggests

About half of American moms are the primary breadwinner. Women also manage most of the household workload, according to an annual report from Motherly, from doing laundry to making pediatrician appointments.

The report surveyed more than 17,000 women who are balancing family and work to find out just what the “state of motherhood” is in 2022. The main takeaway, research suggests, is that the pandemic has been rough on caregivers, taking a huge toll on mothers. 

Key findings include the fact that the number of women who want to have another child is down 9% from last year nationally. The report also found that lack of child care was the single biggest reason women left a job in 2021.

President Joe Biden had been pushing for a plan to bolster the struggling child care sector as part of his social spending package. That proposal, unable to find support among conservative factions, appears to have died.  The U.S. currently ranks 35th out of 37 major economies in public investment in young children.