The lack of affordable, high quality and accessible childcare has become an increasingly important issue as the proportion of women participating in the paid labour market has grown and the requirement for childcare provision outside of the home has risen.
In this paper, we argue that investment in childcare must be seen as both a social and economic imperative. We also argue that responsibility for childcare must be considered not only by parents, but also by the State and employers. This requires major transformations in the workplace in order to acknowledge mothers’ and fathers’ right to care for their children. It also requires the provision of universally accessible, high-quality childcare services by the state. The provision of a properly funded system of childcare and associated policy initiatives will bring particular and positive impacts for: - Gender equality: by facilitating the fuller participation of women in the labour force, as well as providing incentives for fathers to care for their children such as via a system of parental leave; - Living standards: by reducing the burden for families which face onerous childcare costs and increasing the benefits of paid employment; - The childcare workforce: by valuing the labour involved in such work through professionalisation and decent terms and conditions.
