More must be done to ensure women are not pressured back into the home when times are hard

By Mary Honeyball

Europe’s demographic crisis was highlighted in a report on carers in the informal economy passed by the European Parliament yesterday. Europe’s population is falling, a fact which could prove detrimental to our economy and way of life. One of the best ways of encouraging greater fertility is to provide quality, affordable childcare. Those European countries with good childcare also have the highest birth rates.

Given this, it almost beggars belief that, following this week’s report on childhood produced by the Children’s Society, most British newspapers have chosen to highlight only one issue – that of working mothers. Granted the Children’s Society’s report concluded, unsurprisingly, that children who spend a great deal of time away from their parents are increasingly unhappy. They did not, however, say that stay at home mothers was the only solution.

At the same time the programme of the newly installed Czech Presidency of the European Union states that childcare ought to be a ‘fully fledged alternative to a professional career’ and have refused to meet the ambitious Barcelona targets of childcare for 90 per cent of children aged over three years. In other words the current holders of this six month rotating office, who are almost all men, have had no hesitation in proclaiming that women should stay be stay at home mothers.

Fortunately the European Parliament is coming to the rescue. We have just voted to protect the EU childcare targets, sounding a warning to the Czechs that they cannot coerce the Parliament over childcare. But here in Britain, women and men alike need to stand up against the bullying tone of some elements of the press. The truth is that women do work to the tune of 70 per cent of those in the relevant age bracket. This is the modern reality, and an important one in a time of economic hardship.

Women and men must be given a free choice to continue with a career or to stay at home after having children. To discriminate against either sex for choosing to work or to care for children is wrong. We must encourage men to play an equal part in childcare. The Children’s Society report states that children are unhappy when away from their parents for long periods of time. As much as traditionalists do not like to admit it, men are also able to stay at home and look after children and should not be afraid of or prevented from doing so.

The Labour government has done much to help working parents in Britain, most notably by introducing the excellent Sure Start programme. But more must be done to ensure that women are not pressured back into the home when times are hard. The Tories are proposing cuts for children’s services. We have to fight this. Britain needs high quality, affordable and accessible childcare. At the very least we must the EU’s ambitious targets.

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