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Pink recession
Answered 4 years ago
I'm curious how others have felt about free childcare. I know many households keep the mum at home because economically it makes more sense... Would it change it for you? I work and when free my perspective changed and I felt I had little more space to think about my own career. I'm lucky to have a good daycare but the fees reflect that as they should. I thought I'd ask considering the conversation is bring raised again by the unions ofcourse. No judgement, and no comparisons to others, obviously we work with what we have being mums!
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ANSWER
4 years ago
Unpopular opinion and i'll probably get grilled - but here we go
I'm on the fence about this a bit. The government can't foot the entire bill. Maybe a flat rate per day across the board regardless of income, $20 a day or something so having 1 child in care is equivalent to $100 a week just so the quality of centres and care doesn't become sub par due to minimal government funding. If childcare is free I would assume there would be ALOT more working bees and pressure on the parents to be more involved in activities, supplying supplies/stationary etc. I don't think childcare should be free in it's entirety because I believe the quality of care will suffer. Also, I would like to see families get priority tested to ensure working parents are getting priority. I am a fulltime working single mother and it took me 3 years to get into an approved childcare centre (she went to home care so wasn't able to receive any decent childcare subsidy) when i would see SAHMs dropping their kids off all day and lunching with other SAHMs. I understand that SAHMs deserve a break and a day off and I'm not discrediting all that they do but it was difficult for me to return to work to support my child, pay my bills etc because these childcare positions were being taken up by folks that didn't need it
I'm on the fence about this a bit. The government can't foot the entire bill. Maybe a flat rate per day across the board regardless of income, $20 a day or something so having 1 child in care is equivalent to $100 a week just so the quality of centres and care doesn't become sub par due to minimal government funding. If childcare is free I would assume there would be ALOT more working bees and pressure on the parents to be more involved in activities, supplying supplies/stationary etc. I don't think childcare should be free in it's entirety because I believe the quality of care will suffer. Also, I would like to see families get priority tested to ensure working parents are getting priority. I am a fulltime working single mother and it took me 3 years to get into an approved childcare centre (she went to home care so wasn't able to receive any decent childcare subsidy) when i would see SAHMs dropping their kids off all day and lunching with other SAHMs. I understand that SAHMs deserve a break and a day off and I'm not discrediting all that they do but it was difficult for me to return to work to support my child, pay my bills etc because these childcare positions were being taken up by folks that didn't need it
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4 years ago
Just on the sahm having days off. They need to be child free to actually look at getting into employment again, either study or going for interviews etc. Possibly even working side hustles or small businesses. I'm sure they're not all lunching with friends. I know i'm not.
ANSWER
4 years ago
For sure but the thing that gets me now with covid is that if she gets the sniffles she can't go to preschool & has to stay home, then I couldn't go to work. She picks up sooo many bugs from preschool who the heck would want to hire someone that has to take time off all the time because their kid is sick. I feel like I wont be a reliable employee because of it so what do you do?
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4 years ago
Yes I struggle with this and I get your point. My only saving grace is that my work is flexible so I can cancel but have to make up later. The only solution is relying on others in that case which many of us do not have, it sucks.
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4 years ago
We live too far away from family & friends for this to be an option.
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4 years ago
Yes, I’m not even going to pretend to give you advice, I totally get it
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4 years ago
Lol thanks. It's a no win situation right now. That's life, we'll just keep plugging along I guess.
ANSWER
4 years ago
It's a moot point for me as my youngest DD finishes kindy at day care in December, but, yes, I would have worked. It's just not worth it until she starts school.
I'm not sure what's in the ACTU's submission, but their skewing the facts with the little I have read. For discussion....
- Not everyone will work if free childcare is offered. There's too many exceptions to the activity test. That affects the figures.
- What about after school care? Maybe they've included that, but it's also a barrier.
- inequality in households. While women are still the ones to always leave work if kids are ill, to attend school activities or want school hols off, women with kids will struggle to be desirable in the workplace. (Personal experience.)
- tax. The countries that offer the free childcare etc. have exceptionally high tax. So you'll be paying for your child care anyway, and everyone else's, for life.
I do think it would be wonderful. I just don't think it's as as easy as making it free.
I'm not sure what's in the ACTU's submission, but their skewing the facts with the little I have read. For discussion....
- Not everyone will work if free childcare is offered. There's too many exceptions to the activity test. That affects the figures.
- What about after school care? Maybe they've included that, but it's also a barrier.
- inequality in households. While women are still the ones to always leave work if kids are ill, to attend school activities or want school hols off, women with kids will struggle to be desirable in the workplace. (Personal experience.)
- tax. The countries that offer the free childcare etc. have exceptionally high tax. So you'll be paying for your child care anyway, and everyone else's, for life.
I do think it would be wonderful. I just don't think it's as as easy as making it free.
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4 years ago
I agree with everything except needed to clarify the exceptionally high taxes I disagree with. I believe our taxes are too low for rich- when bobby next door is buying his mansion and fancy cars, sending three kids to private school but not even paying 30% on 180k that is too low(pretty much the same tax percentage as someone earning much less).. not to mention his awesome accountant who helps him pay even less tax. It skewer the economy, creates a bigger divide and I see this supported by record sales of some car companies at this time capitalising again, and millionaires in the world asking to be taxed higher as even they are admitting it is too low. I agree they pay higher taxes overseas but our rich pay much lower than they should- particularly because their main expenditures are GST free so something like private school should effectively be costing 10% more but they can’t get the past the lobbying and vested interests.
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4 years ago
Im a single parent, free childcare would enable me to work about 3-4 days per week, reducing (or even removing) my need for a single parenting payment, also it would keep me relevent and able to increase my hours as my children get older, also obviously working would enable me to have some superannuation as well. Having to pay for childcare (yes, i know, someone has to pay for it) removes all these options/possibilities from my life. It’s pretty depressing actually. I am qualified and willing even keen to work and would much rather earn my own income then rely on welfare, but the cost of childcare (even with subsidies) for three children makes it impossible. I am actually afraid that i will never work again, given the time ive had to take out and the state of the world right now.
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4 years ago
Thanks for your response, so well put and your concerns are valid- you sound intelligent and wise and I’m sure you’d be an asset to whatever work you took x
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4 years ago
Aww thank you, made me smile x
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4 years ago
Meant every word x
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4 years ago
There was free childcare?
I'm a stay at home mum, my husband is often deployed. I wouldn't want to take a regular spot in daycare but maybe one day every now and then just to get my head back in line.
Is there still free care? Can I ask? Or is it only for working mums (totally understand, you ladies are amazing - I am in awe of women who somehow manage to work and parent - like rock on ladies, you're kicking ass!)?
I'm a stay at home mum, my husband is often deployed. I wouldn't want to take a regular spot in daycare but maybe one day every now and then just to get my head back in line.
Is there still free care? Can I ask? Or is it only for working mums (totally understand, you ladies are amazing - I am in awe of women who somehow manage to work and parent - like rock on ladies, you're kicking ass!)?
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4 years ago
No it’s not free atm, hopefully that will change again soon.
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4 years ago
As part of the Covid packages, they removed the childcare gap effectively making childcare free for working parents who normally pay that amount. It has recently returned back to the normal system, but it is something that still is being discussed and highlighted as women have been particularly badly hit by this recession- hence the name the pink recession. Fields normally filled by women being very badly hit, coupled with the idea that women have been the ones to stay home to homeschool in most cases
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4 years ago
Recommend you study or work do something- once the kids get to high school you will be bored
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4 years ago
Who is going to pay for it? Childcare is a parents responsibility. If you don't want to pay don't send them to care.
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4 years ago
Um.. it’s sad to read this. In a lot of countries free childcare is offered from a very young age- because they support and value having women in the workforce. In Eastern Europe, this could start at one month old and a lot of single mothers could use this to work, on a side note guess which country sent the first woman to space- around the same time as the men? We know that childcare becomes the mothers responsibility in most cases.. many reasons like women getting paid less contribute to this. Open your mind or bugger off, your comment is absolutely irrelevant because you didn’t even read the questions or thoughtful responses.
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4 years ago
Yes I would work if I didn't have to pay for childcare.