Let’s talk childcare

Let’s get to it. Childcare. Albanese Government’s reforms, all stick no care. Are we surprised?

Childcare. Caring responsibility for some of the most vulnerable people in our community. Infants, babies. A period of deep vulnerability and dependence that each and every one of us have experienced.

A period of care that we hold to the highest of standards and shout out to the rooftops of its value and significance - ‘most important job in the world’. But like other care work attributed to women, it remains both ideologically and structurally, unsupported and underfunded. 

Ideologically - by way of socially and culturally perceived as simple, pastel, and easy - not one for adult discussion. One that shocks you to the bone of its complexity, grit, awe, and endurance this skilled work entails. 

I know this from my own shock and steep learning curve (one that continues four years into m/othering). Why oh why was this so messy, hard, and all flouro of emotional colours -  with no pastel insight. As a mentor said to me, ‘the sound on life turned up.’

And I know this too from the one conversation I had in Brunswick, Melbourne - when a father from my parents group was taken aback when their parental leave two months in didn’t involve the gaming and streaming of basketball as they had anticipated. 

A common perception of carer work that when I preparing for leave, a young colleague in Fitzroy said - “18 weeks of paid leave, I almost want to get pregnant for that!” It’s not leave. It’s work and a masters in its own right. 

And if workplace conditions and worker-rights have anything to say in Australia, indeed harder than paid work. It’s work without the training or the resources that you need to do well, and one with KPIs and budget constraints that far outweigh even the most reasonable expectations.

Is it surprising that the rate of burnout and depression among those doing mothering exceeds those in some of the most toxic workplaces?

That’s language and cultural representation of being ‘just a mother’. But structurally, it’s in turn reflected in the pay, conditions, and staff ratios of people doing this work professionally.

From working in social services for a number of years, I’m confident to say that would include a workforce of 80% women, over 70% who would either be casual, temporary or on part time contracts with low super, and many of whom (I’d expect the vast majority) are from migrant backgrounds. 

By and large, these are women who are travelling across town to deliver the childcare, aged care, palliative care or disability support to provide shift work at rates often at minimum wage - to perform ‘the most important job in the world.’

When reports of sexual abuse and neglect in aged care hit headlines in 2017-2019, there too were calls for defunding providers and ensuring surveillance with cameras. Guilt rife for all all families taking this labour outside that of the (let’s face it) women at home,

Yet, amidst the 148 recommendations from the subsequent royal commission was a need to value the workforce and invest. In staff ratios, pay and permanent conditions, ongoing staff training and development.

Grattan Institute and Parenthood great starting places for policy reforms to back childcare in Australia. And I’m sure, Carers Australia.

But if you want children to be cared for? Invest in the care, not further money to surveillance. Value the care. Respect the care. And start seeing it for what it is. Skilled labour that’s deserving of respect and investment. 

The only reason it’s gone structurally unsupported for this long - is because we’ve managed to scam incredible free labour from m/others and women who’ve held this society up. And then we are shocked when the structures that reflect this are ‘too expensive for the budget’. 

Just lucky we’ve had the sweet times and pennies saved from back breaking labour of women, and your beloved m/others, who’ve come before you.

Emma 💋

More, Albanese Government has to do something to straddle getting women in workplaces and dropping jaws from a conservative base. Legislation to strengthen safety child care centres.

The Canary Mine, Michelle Grattan in the Conversation.