RE: March 6, 2011. The Star – article (web): “Lack of child care costing Canada: report“
Dear Editor:
Every mother is a working mother. Statistics about mothers’ employment are falsely used as a proxy measure for “work” and for daycare demand.
Mothers’ Labour Force Participation rate is high because it lumps together: paid and unpaid leave, unpaid work for family enterprise, part time work of any amount, paid work at home, looking for a job, paid work outside of daycare hours.
The Y is Canada’s largest daycare provider receiving millions from taxpayers in fee subsidies as well as all the other tax-funded subsidies that daycare centres rely on. Daycare fees cover less than half of full costs.
The Y’s self-serving report is not about equality for women it is about MONEY for the Y.
Women will not be equal until groups like the Y stop their misogynistic demand that public money for children’s care go to straight to them rather than to families so parents can make these job and child care decisions on an equal basis, without being financially punished for looking after our own children. And without having our unpaid labour subsidize salaries of Y report writers and staff.
The Y’s demand discriminates against those who use any other form of child care, and especially against those – the vast majority – who reduce job-income to prioritize working at parental child care.
kidsfirstcanada.org 