Summer Shines a Hot Spotlight on Childcare and Gender Equity Issues

Until my kids hit the age where they could get themselves to a summer job, I had a love-hate relationship with summer. We all needed a break from the rigid school year routine, and summer brought that freedom, but also the childcare chaos that came along with it. For 15 years, we had au pairs living with us to help manage the care and driving given the erratic work and summer schedules for two working parents and three kids. And every August, I looked forward to the predictability of the new school year.???

Now, with summer in blazing mid-swing, the heat is on working parents. School is out, kids need all-day supervision (and taxi service), and it’s once again evident that childcare issues are dictating the shape and quality of families’ lives. In the work/caregiving juggling act, something must give—and quite often that “something” is women’s earning power.?

According to a survey Catalyst fielded last summer, four in ten (44%) women said they will likely need to change jobs to balance childcare with work demands, compared to 37% of men. And 35% of women with children said they will likely?need to stop working altogether to manage the childcare they need.??

The financial implications are real. A new Bankrate analysis of the United States Census Bureau’s 2023 Current Population Survey, reported in Fortune , found that the motherhood penalty is costing moms in the US $1,400 a month, $17,000 a year, and about $500,000 throughout a 30-year career. In stark contrast, fathers see an increase in their salaries when they have kids.??

The economic realities of childcare have always factored into the quest for gender equity and, just as important, couple equity. When Catalyst sat down with Dr. Claudia Goldin —who won the Nobel Prize in Economics last year—she discussed what happens when one partner takes a more demanding (and higher paying) “greedy job” and the other takes the flexible job to care for the kids. As you may have guessed, women have typically taken the flexible job.?

Not only does the burden of unpaid care work fall disproportionately on women, Black and Hispanic mothers tend to take on a larger share of childcare compared to White mothers. Black mothers are also more likely to be breadwinners , bearing the weight of the family’s care and finances.?

Flexible work arrangements are a huge part of the solution. For instance, the couple inequity issue raised by Dr. Goldin wouldn’t exist if both parents’ jobs allowed them to balance work and childcare responsibilities. Providing more flexibility is not only good for women, it’s great for companies seeking to attract and keep talent. This strategy helped Marriot (a Catalyst supporter company) fix its turnover crisis, especially among frontline employees.?

A few things employers can do to help working parents:??

? As much as possible, offer flexible work arrangements. Check out a wealth of info and practical tips on the Catalyst website.?

? Provide caregiving-centric benefits like paid emergency care days, financial subsidies, on-site childcare, and flexible spending accounts.?

? Combat stereotypes that childcare is gendered work both in practice and in workplace policy. (For example, offer parental leave for all caregivers, not just Moms.)??

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this subject in the comments. What are other ways we as workplace leaders can support working parents???

Enjoy the rest of your summer – the kids will be back to school soon!