A new national survey is putting hard numbers to what plenty of San Antonio parents already feel in their bones: work and family are colliding, and a lot of moms and dads are effectively doing two jobs at the exact same time. The daily grind shows up locally in school pickups squeezed between meetings, juggling sick days with office deadlines and answering midnight emails after the kids are finally asleep.
Pew's survey of 2,242 working parents, conducted March 215, 2026, found 70% said they take care of parenting-related tasks while they're working and 59% said they handle work-related tasks when they're with their children; 54% called balancing the two "difficult." The report also found only about 24% of full-time working parents have a lot of flexibility to telework and that access to benefits like paid time off and health insurance varies sharply by income, according to Pew Research Center.
Ellen Ernst Kossek, a Purdue management professor, told WOAI that many employers have rolled back pandemic-era flexibility and family-support benefits, which only turns up the pressure on parents. "Companies are not investing in childcare, and they are not investing in flexibility, and they really don't care about parents," she said. Kossek warned that without employer action, workers, especially women, may face harder choices about careers and having children.
What Employers Can Do
Local employers have tools to ease the crunch if they choose to use them. Expanding predictable schedules, offering paid leave and making remote or hybrid days truly flexible can help parents keep both plates spinning. Employer-sponsored backup childcare or subsidized care can also cut down on last-minute work absences and costly turnover.
Parents Are Worn Thin
The survey found many parents say they simply do not have enough time for hobbies, friends, exercise or time with a partner, a strain felt most acutely by mothers and lower-income families. Per Pew Research Center, about half of full-time working parents say their job makes it harder to be a good parent.
For San Antonio families, the data is a not-so-subtle reminder that public policy and workplace choices shape everyday life. City officials, employers and community groups will likely be watching whether local workplaces step up with the flexibility and benefits many parents say they need just to keep their households and careers afloat.
