Delivery woman on her way to a client with a thermobag walking down the street wearing medical face mask

In the daytime, she’s taking care of her daughter, De’Onna, 20, who has cerebral palsy. At night, she’s delivering meals through the company DoorDash, a food delivery app.

At DoorDash, women make up over half of its “dashers” in suburban areas and more than 60 percent in cities. Grant says she likes the flexibility of the work, which allows her to spend the day with her daughter at home, or cancel shifts if she has a child care emergency.

Her deliveries now take longer because of the sanitizing routine she does between each one. Her customers are on edge, and Grant is too. She struggles to keep her daughter focused during virtual classes, and worries that the school shutdown could delay De’Onna’s graduation set for next year.

On a good night, Grant takes home between $110 and $160, including wages and tips, from her seven-hour shift. Her mother watches De’Onna while she is at work.

De’Onna does not understand that a pandemic hit, so she gets confused when her mom explains that she can’t go to school or be with her friends.

Read more in the New York Times.

 

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