Almost half of working mothers in Illinois have lost jobs, hours during COVID: survey By FOX 32 Digital Staff Published Your Take: Women voice hardships, challenges exacerbated by the pandemic A panel of FOX 32 viewers ranging from a variety of trades and backgrounds share their experiences as women during the pandemic. CHICAGO - A new survey of working mothers in Illinois found that nearly half of them have felt the financial crunch of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study, which surveyed over 1,000 working mothers, was conducted by the Project for Middle Class Renewal at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the Illinois Economic Policy Institute.