March of the Mummies

Posted by Barbara on October 31, 2022 in Blog, feminism, Human rights, Social welfare, society, Women's equality issues | 2 comments

We need to talk about childcare.  I remember a time when for some reason our childcare arrangements fell apart – again, and I had to go to a meeting in Paris which involved an overnight stay and a return early the next morning. My other half was equally busy so just who was going to look after a 5-year-old and a 2-year-old?  My mother had much to deal with at that time so I could not ask her.

I bit the bullet and called my mother-in-law to ask for help for the first – and what would be the last – time.  She was an artist and had always made it quite clear that she did not particularly like small children although was happy to tolerate her grandchildren. Actually, they adored her and loved tiptoeing round her studio when we went to visit – usually only at Christmas and once during the summer where they could pick raspberries from her kitchen garden to their hearts’ content.

She duly arrived and I ran through their schedule with her before rushing out the front door. As I left I noticed that the younger one looked a little pinker than usual, but in my hurry to get to the airport I mentally brushed it aside.

I returned 24 hours later to be met by two children with raging temperatures and covered in spots in the early stages of measles – and a highly reproachful mother-in-law – she had never really grasped the fact that her son’s wife had a job that was as demanding as his.

Enough said. Years later things are no easier for the mothers of our next generation. and for many mothers it is simply impossible for them to return to work after childbirth and pay for childcare.

According to the organisation Pregnant Then Screwed, 48% of pregnant mothers will have to cut their maternity leave short owing to financial hardship, and 60% of women who had an abortion in the past five years said childcare costs had been a factor in their decision.

For single mothers, the situation is, unsurprisingly, even worse; navigating government support is Byzantine, to put it mildly. And we’re not just talking about women working at the lower end of the earnings scale; I learned of a doctor, a single mother with a 2-year-old, who was offered a ‘dream job’ in London. This would have meant relocating with all the additional costs together with higher nursery fees. This woman has to borrow from friends regularly to make ends meet. What if you are a care worker, or a supermarket employee?

I’m not naive enough to think that the situation in other countries is perfect, but childcare in the UK is amongst the most expensive in the world.

As a result, this country is losing women from the workplace because they simply cannot afford to work and outsource their childcare. As I write this on October 29^th, more than 12,000 women in 11 UK cities are marching to call on the government to provide affordable childcare and flexible working and improve parental leave. Otherwise this is just another attack on women’s rights.

What are the chances of this tin-eared government responding to these demands?  This at a time when apparently yet more ‘austerity’ is on the cards. I am sure Jacob Rees-Mogg can’t understand why everyone doesn’t just get a nanny. After all, he’s still got his.