The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased caregiving responsibilities for working parents, leading to changes in work hours. This study uses data from the U.S. Current Population Survey to examine how mothers and fathers adjusted their work hours between February and April 2020, before the widespread outbreak and through its first peak. Using person-level fixed effects models, the study finds that mothers with young children reduced their work hours four to five times more than fathers, resulting in a 20 to 50 percent increase in the gender gap in work hours. These findings highlight the challenges the pandemic poses to women's work hours and employment. The pandemic has fundamentally altered daily life globally, with severe health and economic consequences. The rapid rise in unemployment in the U.S. reached 14.7% in April 2020, the highest since the Great Depression. For working parents, the combination of caregiving responsibilities and financial pressures has been particularly challenging, especially for those with children at home. The study examines how dual-earner, heterosexual married couples with children have adjusted their work time during the pandemic. It tests the argument that the pandemic may help equalize gender roles by increasing men's contributions to childcare and household labor. However, the study finds that even with the increased visibility of carework, men are less likely to increase their contributions to family labor. Mothers have scaled back their work hours more significantly than fathers, leading to a widening gender gap in work hours. The study also examines telecommuting-capable parents, finding that even among those who could work from home, mothers reduced their work hours more than fathers. This suggests that the pandemic has exacerbated gender inequality in work hours and employment, particularly for mothers. The study concludes that the pandemic has increased gender inequality in the labor force, with mothers bearing the brunt of the impact. The findings highlight the need for employers to recognize the gendered implications of the pandemic on workers to avoid long-term employment penalties for women. The study provides early evidence that the pandemic has increased gender inequality in the labor force with troubling consequences for mothers.The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased caregiving responsibilities for working parents, leading to changes in work hours. This study uses data from the U.S. Current Population Survey to examine how mothers and fathers adjusted their work hours between February and April 2020, before the widespread outbreak and through its first peak. Using person-level fixed effects models, the study finds that mothers with young children reduced their work hours four to five times more than fathers, resulting in a 20 to 50 percent increase in the gender gap in work hours. These findings highlight the challenges the pandemic poses to women's work hours and employment. The pandemic has fundamentally altered daily life globally, with severe health and economic consequences. The rapid rise in unemployment in the U.S. reached 14.7% in April 2020, the highest since the Great Depression. For working parents, the combination of caregiving responsibilities and financial pressures has been particularly challenging, especially for those with children at home. The study examines how dual-earner, heterosexual married couples with children have adjusted their work time during the pandemic. It tests the argument that the pandemic may help equalize gender roles by increasing men's contributions to childcare and household labor. However, the study finds that even with the increased visibility of carework, men are less likely to increase their contributions to family labor. Mothers have scaled back their work hours more significantly than fathers, leading to a widening gender gap in work hours. The study also examines telecommuting-capable parents, finding that even among those who could work from home, mothers reduced their work hours more than fathers. This suggests that the pandemic has exacerbated gender inequality in work hours and employment, particularly for mothers. The study concludes that the pandemic has increased gender inequality in the labor force, with mothers bearing the brunt of the impact. The findings highlight the need for employers to recognize the gendered implications of the pandemic on workers to avoid long-term employment penalties for women. The study provides early evidence that the pandemic has increased gender inequality in the labor force with troubling consequences for mothers.