Petra Bueskens, is a psychologist and social scientist in Australia, and a well-known motherhood researcher worldwide. She coined the term "strategic absence" to describe a tactic she saw while studying women who were deliberately trying to upend traditional gender dynamics in their home. The idea is that if you plan the occasional absence from the home, not only does it help maintain your independence, but also it forces everyone else in the household to share the load of domestic tasks. But ... can it work in a pandemic?

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