"Snow days can be incredibly disruptive to all," Vicki Broadbent, who runs the acclaimed family lifestyle blog Honest Mum, told Bored Panda.
"Schools and offices/workplaces often close and parents must react quickly, ensuring we can care for our kids, canceling meetings, not making deadlines or trying to combine childcare with work expectations, if that's even possible," Broadbent, author of Mumboss (UK) and The Working Mom (US and Canada), added.
Vicki Broadbent thinks that authorities and businesses in many places across the world are not entirely geared up for the extreme weather we've been experiencing lately.
"Transport often shuts down, it's not safe to be on the road, and childcare institutions from nurseries to schools close their doors," she said.
"Things are likely to become more disruptive as climate change and extreme weather continue to affect the world. Post-pandemic, some workplaces have continued to accommodate employees with a more flexible working approach as well as by encouraging remote working, but some are equally regressing back to expecting you to physically be at work."
Many parents share Broadbent's sentiment. According to research from the Pew Research Center, moms and dads tend to have trouble when balancing their jobs and their family obligations.
Among all working parents with children under the age of 18, more than half (56%) say that this task is difficult for them, while another 14% claim it's actually very difficult, and 42% find it somewhat difficult.
Working mothers (60%) are a bit more likely than fathers (52%) to say it’s difficult for them to balance work and family, and this is particularly the case for moms who work full time.
In fact, one in five full-time working moms say balancing the two is very difficult for them, compared with 12% of dads who work full time and 11% of moms who work part time.
Vicki Broadbent thinks there should be a systemic change. "I believe businesses need to be more accommodating and understanding when parents face snow," she said.
"Annual leave should be an option, or simply accepting working might require greater flexibility and extended deadlines."
