Childcare debate - Difficulties of our own making

EVEN in the days of almost regal abundance childcare costs represented a significant difficulty for very many young, working families.

In very many cases a couple with two children paid more to have children cared for than they did for their six-figure mortgage. In very many instances it was difficult to see how, after paying, say, €2,000 a month to have two children cared for, that it made economic sense for both parents to work outside the home.

In these very different times these costs are moving beyond the reach of very many families. If one parent loses their job the huge cost of childcare is very often a barrier to returning to work, should they be lucky enough to find a new job.

Irish families spend almost twice the European average on childcare. For a good proportion of families childcare costs run to almost a third of net income.

This burden is having an unimagined effect on how we live our lives and today we report on one of the startling consequences of our changed economic circumstances. PACT, a crisis pregnancy charity, has claimed that couples who “would never have considered” abortion are doing so because of money worries. This is a shocking assertion and yet another powerful indictment of those whose recklessness brought us to this sorry pass.

At the other end of the spectrum there are tens of thousands of retired people nobly looking after their children’s children instead of playing that longed for game of golf, or just foostering in the garden.

Nevertheless, there are tens of thousands of Irish women driven to distraction by the difficulties of matching childcare with budgets, their working day, their energy levels and ambitions. The reality is that, despite the reported arrival of New Man on these shores about 15 years ago, these issues are largely left to women to resolve.

Advocacy groups have called for broader policies to support women’s paid employment during child-rearing years, especially leave entitlements, family friendly and flexible workplace policies. In another indictment of our social inertia and conservatism they point out that every change in relation to maternity legislation has followed EU directives. This principle applies in far too many other areas of Irish life.

There is significant demand for a service that is, in very many instances, the difference between a family’s solvency and bankruptcy. Yet, we do not have an agreed position on how we want to treat childcare costs. It seems fair that they should be at least tax deductible, but can we afford that today? And if childcare costs are tax deductible why can’t we deduct the equally crippling costs of looking after incapacitated, elderly parents?

The debate has been shaped by lobby groups, but a consensus has not been reached across wider society.

However, it must be acknowledged that the expectations placed on so many young families, especially women, are irrational and will lead to great frustration and unhappiness. This situation is entirely reflective of where the power lies in society and indicates why this issue has not been resolved.

If men made up only 13% of the 30th Dáil, as women do, this issue would have been resolved long ago.