A national demonstration demanding affordable childcare, improvements in parental leave and flexible working hours is coming to Bristol next month. The national protest where parents and campaigners will gather in 11 cities wearing Halloween fancy dress, is organised by Pregnant then Screwed .
In 2019 the OECD listed the UK as the second most expensive country for childcare costs and with the lowest paid maternity pay in Europe. A recent survey published by Pregnant then Screwed and Mumsnet of 27,000 parents found that the majority were paying more for childcare than rent.
Former Bristol City councillor Mhairi Threlfall who is organising the Bristol demonstration described finding childcare “a nightmare” after going back to work in May. Alongside the physical and emotional pressure of being a new mother were the high fees and lack of childcare available. By the time her second childminder pulled out and her son still had no nursery place, Mhairi was in tears having to pull together last minute childcare arrangements so she could keep her job.
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Although Ms Threlfall and her partner both have professional careers and carefully planned the birth of their first child who is now 15 months, she was shocked by the difficulties going back to work and the £1,200 a month she now needs to pay for childcare, just to keep her job.
When her son was three months old she made enquiries at numerous nurseries in preparation for her return to work only to find most of them had a 12 to 18 month waiting list. She eventually found a childminder but still had to extend her maternity leave, losing a month’s pay.
After returning to work, her childminder decided on a career change due to the increasing cost of living, making working increasingly difficult. At one point, her parents travelled all the way from Scotland to help with childcare.
Although she is relieved her son was finally offered a nursery place last week, her experience and that of other parents she has spoken to in Bristol prompted her to take action and join Pregnant then Screwed.
Ms Threfall said: “So many women are quitting their job because they can’t find childcare or if they do manage to find it, they [can’t afford it]. You’re basically paying to work, I wanted to go back to work, I want to keep my career and I’d lose all of that if I quit.
“But I can understand why a lot of women would quit because it’s a huge emotional turmoil trying to get that child care sorted. I’m lucky enough to have flexible working hours.
“If you’re a single mum it’s just impossible but if you’re lucky enough to have two of you in a relationship, it could be the father that then takes that hit but it’s a constant negotiation. If you don’t have a flexible employer it’s absolutely impossible because they get sick as well.
“You need to have enough annual leave and carers leave to take the days off when they get ill. If you’re on a zero hour contract or your pay is completely reliant on you turning up to work and then those things happen, it’s just an absolutely impossible situation.
“It takes the choice away from women. If you want to choose to stay at home, that should be your choice, it shouldn’t be forced upon you because you can’t afford to go to work.
“When we first conceived him we were expecting to pay £50 a day and it’s now £75 a day, we can’t afford to pay any more than we’re paying because we’ve got increasing bills and increasing food [costs]. It’s affecting so many people and the government is just not taking it into account.
"If you’re in poverty or not earning very much, you’re going to have to go into debt to work, which is just crazy. I wouldn’t be surprised if some women are making that decision because they want to keep their job.
“For men it’s often not worth them doing it, which is why a lot of them aren’t taking [paternity leave] and they tend to be the higher earners. My husband’s the higher earner so there wasn’t any point in him taking time off and I couldn’t even choose to go back early because I didn’t have childcare.
“I got in contact with Pregnant then Screwed because it’s just a huge shock to the system going back to work and chasing all these challenges." Ms Threlfall believes that these issues need to be part of the national and regional industrial strategies rather than simply seen as a problem for early years.
New analysis published by the TUC in June 2022 showed that nursery fees have risen by £185 a month since the Conservative party took office in 2010, resulting in parents paying almost twice as much a year on fees compared to 2010 costs.
The early years funding cuts mean that maintained nurseries are struggling to survive, the majority are running on budget deficits and many have cut staff and services or reduced hours since the pandemic, according to an Early Education survey. Figures from the Department of Education (DfE) show that in two years, between 2019 and 2021, 4,000 early years providers have closed .
The result is there are less free places available for those on the lowest incomes and parents are increasingly having to rely on private providers who have increased fees to maintain profits and make up for the shortfall in government funding for free spaces for two and three year olds. Children’s charities have warned that the slashing of council’s early years budget is hitting the poorest and most vulnerable children the hardest and resulting in higher costs on crisis interventions and care placements .
The March of the Mummies in Bristol takes place on Saturday, October 29, and is being organised by Mhairi Threfell with the support of Councillor and Cabinet member, Nicola Beech who also has experienced challenges going back to work after having children. For more information on the national campaign please visit Pregnant then Screwed , you can sign up for the Bristol demonstration on Facebook or Eventbrite.
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