Following the Chancellor’s announcement about the extension of the free childcare scheme (their words, not mine, we all know it’s not free, we all know we’re education not just care), we are headline news, people are planning their lives around this announcement.
Many pieces have and will be run in mainstream and trade press about the announcement. I’m loathed to add another voice to a well-represented conversation but what I would like to shine a light on, is the role of gender equity in this. Gender equity hasn’t been completely missed from the conversations, some discussion was sparked around international women's day and Pregnant then Screwed, the charity dedicated to ending the motherhood penalty have been arguably one of the most powerful players in this movement.
The Chancellor was apparently swayed in his decision, by the opportunity to boost the economy by reducing female economic inactivity. Female employment still lags male employment and of the women that work 38 per cent work part time, dwarfing 14per cent of men. The UK gender pay gap sits at 14.9 per cent, with the Institute for Fiscal Studies tracing most of this to parenthood. Women make up most of the low paid workforce (61 per cent in 2021) and representation at senior levels lags, 19 per cent of SMEs are led by women. We know that The Resolution Foundation recommended childcare reform as a way of addressing the post pandemic increase in economic inactivity, with the top reason for women being out of the workforce being caring responsibilities.
The recent announcement could pave the way for greater equity, universal free childcare many would argue is a requirement of gender equity for all women. Yet without a workforce plan and funding at the right levels we must ask at what cost. Individual providers with the desire and backing to do so will do their utmost to ensure that the cost isn’t on their children, their team. Yet systemically the issue will exist. The system will continue to reinforce existing inequities for children as the ability to operate effectively and sustainably in areas of economic deprivation will continue.
The easy answer is, put more money in, of course, but surely, we must also find a better way to put it in. Supply side funding, which numerous other countries have, where funding passes straight to providers, or demand side where it passes directly to families must present a greater opportunity than our current system.
We need a plan to achieve gender equity, if systemically and societally we solved the issue of women making up the majority of the low paid workforce, generally not just in early years, we could in turn solve our workforce challenge. I want to walk the path to equity, but I don’t want to walk it over the backs of the early years workforce.