Unsurprisingly, as the COVID-19 crisis wears on, the government and its chorus of loyal MPs are working overtime to make sure blame is shifted in as many different places as possible. Whether it is Public Health England, scientists, teachers, holidaymakers, or protesters — one thing is for sure: they do not want the finger pointed at them.
This government is exceptionally good at shifting the blame, and sadly, it seems to work. It only takes a brief conversation with residents in my role as a local councilor to hear the anger directed at anyone and everyone — “groups of teenagers,” “shoppers who are too close,” or this week and much to my dismay, “mothers who should take their holidays to look after their children.”
This pandemic has been difficult for many families. The government offered no solution for childcare — something that was already a serious problem before the crisis. Like many others during the lockdown, my female friends and I have supported each other in juggling work and trying to teach our offspring.
We vented about our little cherubs, worried about the mounting food bills, and consoled each other regarding the never-ending piles of washing. We have supported each other on more than one occasion when we found ourselves in tears feeling guilty and inadequate, with concerns about failing our children and worries about our household income.
In May, a study from the London School of Economics found that women were more likely to deal with homeschooling, childcare, and chores during the crisis, an extension of the unpaid work that many spent hours doing in the home before this pandemic. Another recent survey showed that a lack of childcare was a factor in almost half of the layoffs impacting women workers since COVID-19 hit.
We simply cannot emerge from this pandemic with no change to childcare. It’s time to make the case for transforming the sector — and the Left as well as trade unions must lead the way.
Successive governments have refused to treat the care of our children as the social necessity it is, instead allowing it to become a for-profit business. This has resulted in many families being unable to afford childcare, but also problems in the system itself — with informal working conditions, like those associated with au pairs, leading to exploitation in many cases.
For regularized childcare workers and small providers, the coronavirus pandemic has meant a huge economic crisis. Many are going out of business already, with more likely to follow. A recent survey by the Childcare online platform found that one in six providers was likely to have closed permanently because of COVID-19, while one in three was unsure if they could reopen.