One councillor says she would not have stood for election if she already had children.
The shift toward virtual meetings has allowed her to spend time with her three-and-a-half year old twins, rather than rush to the other side of Cardiff after a long day at work.
"If I'd have had children first, I would not be a councillor because I simply don't understand how I could have made it work."Lecturer Leah Hibbs said it was worrying it had taken a global pandemic to shift people's attitudes "The remuneration is around £14,000 and that's particularly hard for women because of these kind of continuing traditional gendered roles," she added.
She added that childcare expenses, which have now been made anonymous, were often left unclaimed due to concerns about the possible perceived negative connotations of claiming them. Sara Jones is deputy leader of Monmouthshire council, as well as being a mother-of-two and a volunteer ski coach. "I'm not going to lie it's been difficult to manage both having that professional and public life, but it can be done and it can be done even more so now," she said.Jennifer Burke-Davies was back in the council chamber six weeks after she gave birth to her twins