Work is work, but when it comes to certain professions, there is an expected moral commitment for persons to work out of love and not economic gain. Primarily, these industries tend to be dominated by women, with nurses and teachers falling on top of this pile. There is a lot that can be said about how the gendered nature of these professions, often encourages a dismissal of their needs and labour rights. In the case of teachers, they sit at the helm of an incredibly underfunded sector wherein they often have to pick up the government’s slack in order to create an environment that is conducive to learning.
The disparity of care and gaps within the system became even more apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic, wherein teachers had to quickly adapt their training for remote teaching, even while managing the challenges of having full oversight of their children and other dependents throughout the day. Globally, teachers left the education sector en masse contributing towards what is now called the “great resignation,” spurred by COVID-19 and pre-existing factors that became further expanded during the height of the novel virus.