Childcare costs make work 'hardly worthwhile' for some, says report{uk}

[xchrom]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20116783


The report says childcare costs mean many families would be better off if one parent stayed at home


Childcare costs mean having a full-time job is no longer worthwhile for many second earners in middle and low income families, a think tank has warned.

The Resolution Foundation says in the most extreme cases a couple might be left just £4 a week better off with two incomes than they would be with one.

It calls for major changes in childcare to ensure working is worthwhile.

The government says it has set up a commission to look at the affordability of childcare.

[TexasBushwhacker]

1. I'm going to piss some people off

First of all, let me say I understand that unplanned pregnancies happen and situations can change with jobs and income.

HOWEVER

You don't have to chose to have children close together so that you have 2 in childcare. You can space them out, or even just have one! Hey, you can even have ZERO! There's this thing called birth control. It's not like the cost of childcare and Huggies is some big mystery.

"The government says it has set up a commission to look at the affordability of childcare."

Is it really government's place to make having children more affordable? Shouldn't we encourage people to become parents only when they are financially ready? We already have plenty of perks for parents in the form of tax deductions and credits. As a single childless person I've been subsidizing other people's kids for years. When I saw my mother trapped financially in a loveless marriage, I swore I would never have any children that I couldn't support on my own. It ended up that meant no kids for me.

I would also argue with the report saying it sometimes makes more sense for one parent to stay home. That's all fine and dandy until it's time for that parent to try to get back into the workforce. Let's face it, it's usually the woman that puts her career in cold storage and it is not easy to get hired in anything but an entry level job when you haven't been in the workforce for 5 to 10 years, no matter how much previous experience you have. They treat you like you've been lobotomized. I'm just not so sure it's a good idea for women to stay out of the workforce for longer than a year.

[all american girl]

2. 19 years ago we had our son

I decided to stay home for that reason. I worked part time, but because of my hours, I would have had to the pay full time amount....it just wasn't worth it....coupled with my husband left, for 3 wks, to play Army dude in the field. I've worked on and off, and now not working...It worked for us, but now I'm not marketable and sad....Oh well

[Brickbat]

3. Well, "hardly worthwhile" looks only at the bottom line. It can also be a case of investing in

one's career to make gains later, not wanting to leave the workforce at all, simply enjoying one's job or even enjoying time away from the baby.

[Odin2005]

4. In a civilized country like Sweden there are state-run daycares.

[2ndAmForComputers]

5. Yeah, but Sweden is EVIL!

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-april-21-2009/the-stockholm-syndrome-pt--1

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-april-22-2009/the-stockholm-syndrome-pt--2

[SheilaT]

6. This has been true for a very long time now.

A good twenty-five years ago a friend who was a financial counselor told us that he figured that a woman had to be earning at least $20k to do more than break even because of all of the costs of her working. According to the on-line inflation calculator, that would be about $39k today.

I stayed home the entire time my two kids were growing up, and I'm glad I did for very many reasons. It made me angry then, and it makes me angry now that there are so few supports out there for the working parents. Yes, it is the mothers who take the brunt of the burden, but aside from costs, there is this expectation on the part of too many businesses that their workers don't have any child responsibilities at all. This country is so tremendously child-hating that it's quite sad.