Mothers' careers at risk of being forfeited due to coronavirus
Nicole Weinstein
Wednesday, February 10, 2021
A reliable and affordable childcare system is a prerequisite of a gender equal economy and recovery from the pandemic, according to a new report by the Women and Equalities Committee.
The importance of childcare provision for women’s participation in paid work, and the precarious position of the childcare sector were both highlighted in the findings presented to the House of Commons.
The inquiry, which looks at how the economic impact of coronavirus has impacted men and women differently, found that the childcare sector could ‘hardly have been in worse financial shape’ on the eve of the pandemic and that the system, which was already not working for many parents, ‘buckled’.
It states, ‘Given that women make up the vast majority of the childcare workforce, and that mothers continue to bear the main responsibility for childcare, there is a clear gendered impact. The Government must commit to urgent short-term financial support and a sustainable and holistic long-term strategy.’
In oral evidence, the report states that Liz Bayram, head of PACEY, argued that the Government ‘consistently ignored heterogeneity’ in the needs of providers across the sector, which meant that many providers did not benefit from what Government support has been available.
Dr Costa Dias, deputy research director, from the Institute for Fiscal Studies, told the Committee that the extension of the Government subsidised childcare scheme to 30 hours allowed more women to work.
However, she argued that the absence of assistance for mothers with very young children harmed women’s career opportunities.
She said, ‘If mothers are not going back to work during these very early years—zero, one and two—they will miss out; they will leave their job. They will then go back to looking for a new job and starting again at the bottom of their careers. That is a big cost.’
The report sets out a programme of 20 recommendations for change.
By June 2021, it recommends that an early years strategy is put in place which sets out how childcare provision can best support not only working parents, but also those who are job-seeking and re-training.
It says that the review must also consider the ‘feasibility’ of extending eligibility for free childcare provision for children under the age of three years.
Committee chair Caroline Nokes said, ‘As the pandemic struck, the Government had to act quickly to protect jobs and adapt welfare benefits. These have provided a vital safety net for millions of people. But it overlooked the labour market and caring inequalities faced by women. These are not a mystery, they are specific and well understood.
'And yet the Government has repeatedly failed to consider them. This passive approach to gender equality is not enough. And for many women it has made existing equality problems worse: in the support to self-employed people, to pregnant women and new mothers, to the professional childcare sector, and for women claiming benefits. And it risks doing the same in its plans for economic recovery.
‘We heard evidence from a wide range of organisations, including Maternity Action, the National Hair and Beauty Federation, the TUC, the Professional Association of Childcare and Early Years, the single parents campaign group Gingerbread, the Young Women’s Trust and the Women’s Budget Group. And written evidence from many more. The message from our evidence is clear: Government policies have repeatedly skewed towards men – and it keeps happening.
‘We need to see more than good intentions and hoping for the best. The Government must start actively analysing and assessing the equality impact of every policy, or it risks turning the clock back. Our report sets out a package of twenty recommendations for change, and a timescale. Taken together, these will go a long way towards tackling the problems and creating the more equal future that so many women – and men – want to see. The Government should seize this opportunity.’
Commenting on the report, Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA), said, ‘We know the childcare sector has been underfunded for years. Since the pandemic started to affect the sector in the first national lockdown, we have been calling for more support for childcare providers.
‘Our recent survey showed that 58 per cent of nursery businesses were not confident they would survive until Easter. The Chancellor needs to be aware that any plan for jobs needs a plan for childcare. It is essential to enable parents to work or study, but also to give all children early education which is vital for their future prospects. Giving all children access to high quality early education reduces the attainment gap and improves all their life chances.
‘More than one in nine nursery workers are women, mostly carrying out their vital roles without employers getting the funding they need to be able to properly recognise their contribution. It’s time this Government took responsibility for that and reviewed funding for “free” childcare places so it takes account of rising operational costs.’
