Can all mums afford to return to work?
Knowing I’ll have to work for at least 14 days before I take home a penny is making me bitter. Having to leave my baby in the care of strangers just so I can return to work -working with other people's children, hark the irony! - is a sobering thought, and paying them three-quarters of my salary in the process doesn’t make it any easier.
I, like many other parents, welcomed this week’s revelations by the Family and Childcare Trust. Its childcare survey has shown that British families are spending, on average, a quarter of their income on childcare. That’s more on childcare than a mortgage in some cases. Surely something must be done?
I’ve spoken to parents who, when asked if they’re going to have more children, simply reply “we can’t afford anymore,” and they’re not kidding. It would cost an annual average of £16,000 to have two young children in a full-time nursery in the UK. That’s more than some people earn in a year. Which is why I’m unsurprised when many mums - qualified women with careers they've worked hard for - opt to put their careers on hold to raise a family. This decision is often met with more stigma than praise
Stay at home mums are often described as ‘lazy or ‘workshy’. Parenting is an undervalued role, viewed as less than a profession by many in society, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Parenting is the only 24 hours a day, 7 days a week job that I know of. The only job where you are expected to give 100% day in day out, even if you’re exhausted or delusional with fever. But the rewards are priceless. One smile from your child and you will instantly forget all of the tears, snot, and tantrums that preceded it. I envy anybody lucky enough to be at home to watch their children grow.
However, the decision to be a stay at home mum should be just that. It shouldn't be the logical consequence of men earning more and women not being given enough support to remain at work whilst juggling caring responsibilities. Sadly, this is sll too often the case.
However, the decision to be a stay at home mum should be just that. It shouldn't be the logical consequence of men earning more and women not being given enough support to remain at work whilst juggling caring responsibilities. Sadly, this is sll too often the case.
The government claims to support working families but I disagree. Whilst there is financial support out there for the lowest earners, the rest of us are left to fend for ourselves. If you have a joint income of over £50,000 you’re practically a millionaire in the eyes of those in power and heaven help you if you dare have more than one child - it’s called the squeezed middle for a reason. The reality is, after childcare costs have been accounted for, many families are struggling to put food on the table.
As a result of this Childcare crises, parents are desperately turning to friends and family to care for their children when they return to work. While this suits some, it can put a lot of pressure on aging grandparents. If the government truly wants to honour its pledge to working parents it should cap the price of childcare. I mean, it’s all well and good giving us free nursery places for 3-year-olds when the highest childcare prices are for babies and toddlers - and they're still on the rise! Returning to work should be a feasible option for all mums, not just the lower or higher earners.
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