Every time a woman leaves the workforce because she can't find or afford childcare, or she can't work out a flexible arrangement with her boss, or she has no paid maternity leave, her family's income falls down a notch. Simultaneously, national productivity numbers decline.
The best antidote to poverty remains simple - a paycheck. Policies like paid family leave, workplace flexibility and affordable quality childcare can make the difference for two-parent or single-parent working families who struggle to make ends meet.
In my experience, there are plenty of bad middle-class parents: those who put their own lives and careers before those of their children and make precious little time available for their offspring, preferring instead to hire in childcare and shower them with the latest and most expensive gadgets.
We lived in the schoolhouse of the village school in Church Preen, in deepest Shropshire, and my mum was the schoolmistress. She taught the juniors, and one other teacher taught the infants. I went there from the age of three, no doubt as a form of childcare.
In the 1880s, women were decades away from earning the right to vote. Few owned property - if they were even permitted to do so. In addition to childcare obligations, many toiled in work that was either underpaid or not paid at all. Essentially, the gears of progress for women were moving slowly in just about every arena of life.
Funders, financiers why don't you support childcare? Make it a budget line in your productions and please please let's not be ageist.
Babies have much higher levels of stress in childcare.
I understand the stress of finding quality and affordable childcare while paying high taxes. I also understand that many working moms struggle to make ends meet and balance their family and work life. These moms are the hard-working Americans who want to keep their jobs but also do the best they can for their children.
I've been very clear that childcare is a parents' issue. Men need to be confident that they can have a conversation with their bosses about the need to work flexibly, as I hope women are.
For parents - women in particular - good quality, affordable childcare is vital.
