In the US, more women are working for themselves. On the surface, the rise in self-employment seems to empower people, but the reality is much more dangerous.

Dr. Amaka Nnamani, a 38-year-old pediatrician from Hershey, Pennsylvania, was expecting her third child at the time of the epidemic. She already had two small children, ages eight and six. In October, she and her husband both returned to their previous jobs outside the home. The couple endured neglect as a result of their inability to find a daycare service during the pandemic. She reported that she would soon be unable to take it any longer. She never lost interest in her patients. She still loved them, but they could not stay together. Nnamani is now an independent consultant, lactation educator, and writer. She is now one of an increasing number of people who have left their traditional jobs as a result of the pandemic.

Naturally, having your own business has numerous benefits. The facts, however, mask a terrible tale. Women who made the decision to abandon regular employment, like that of Nnamani, seemed to come more out of necessity than choice. In the wake of the pandemic and amid an ongoing childcare crisis, women, especially mothers, are being pushed out, and they see self-employment less as a desire than as a need.