Annie Hoey (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House, and I welcome the people in the Gallery. Some are party colleagues, but many of them work in the sector as activists or childcare providers. A number are parents.

There is no question about the work the Government is doing to try to deal with the childcare crisis and the issue of childcare costs. My Labour Party colleague, Senator Sherlock, outlined the rationale behind the motion and very eloquently explained all of the factors creating this bubble of trouble within the sector. My colleague, Senator Wall, talked about the direct impact on communities. He referred to the loss of 34 places in a small town. That is a considerable number of places to lose.

If the Acting Chairperson would be so good as to indulge me, I might take us on a slightly different tack and offer a feminist analysis as to the impact this childcare crisis is having on women. In Ireland, the average cost of childcare makes up 35% of household income compared with the EU average of 10% to 13%. We know the obstacles this is putting in the way of people who want to start families. I have dozens of friends my age who are putting off starting families because they cannot comprehend how they will afford childcare. Many of my friends are women and they do not want to have to give up their careers in order to have families. They should be facilitated in this regard. I need not even go into the impact putting off having children is having on them. I have friends who want to have to children in their early 30s but who are putting off doing so until their late 30s and early 40s. Doing that comes with a whole other set of difficulties.

The state is magnifying the problem. That is not good enough. It breaks my heart to hear friends say that they want children and to start a family but that they cannot do so. They do not see how they can do it despite all the work they have put into their careers. They have looked at the costs involved and at the childcare places available in their localities. Some have discovered that if one local childcare provider closes, they will be goosed. They do not always have parents to help them look after their children. It is unfair of us to expect the latter. I am a big fan of multigenerational care, of looking after people, of the concept of community and of building our own tribes. However, the State cannot expect grandparents to take on that caring role. My friends are acutely aware of the pressure it is putting on their families.

Other issues that arise in the context of the fact that we have the highest childcare costs, as a percentage of income, in the EU. We are still battling inequality and fighting for gender parity. We do that every day. We have statements all the time on this matter, and many of us are doing it in our daily lives. Indirectly, our very own Irish policies are creating a bigger gap between men and women. A research report published by the ESRI and Pobal found that due to high childcare costs, women are working less hours. The press release relating to the report in question report came with the heading, "High childcare costs linked to lower employment among mothers". That is pretty chilling. The report found that women's careers are particularly affected by high childcare costs and showed men's careers do not suffer in this regard.

We need to create a place where the gap between men and women is not fuelled by something we, the policymakers, have the power to change or influence. I do not doubt the Minister of State's bona fides or the Government's attempt to tackle this problem, but the current system is perpetuating discrimination and a divide between men and women. Some 45% of women with children between the ages of three and five change their employment hours in order to accommodate caring for children. The research report found greater Government support will increase the number of maternal women in employment.

Low-income families are affected by childcare costs to a considerable degree. Thus, Government supports are especially important for these families. The Minister of State has spoken about direct funding in that area. Dr. Ela Hogan, Pobal's monitoring, analysis and outcomes unit lead, has stated:

The high costs of childcare has been widely recognised as a significant barrier to female labour market participation in Ireland. This report not only provides a supporting evidence on this, but also points out that this barrier is even more profound for lone parents and low income families.

If we were to offer a contemporary feminist analysis of this, not only do we need to address the gender gap our childcare policies are creating, we also need to address poverty. To do that, we have to look at how the policies address childcare costs. These are especially crucial because labour market exclusion due to childcare costs is linked to poverty risks and household unemployment. I do not know whether the Minister of State has seen the report but it is extremely impactful.

I was on a study tour to Iceland recently. I was there to look at how it has tackled the gender pay gap. Every single person from across the political divide to whom we spoke, from trade unionists, feminists and women to parents, referred to affordable state-funded childcare that is open and accessible to everyone being the key lever that has not only closed the gender pay gap but that has also helped to build a more equal society. I was struck by how people spoke about childcare. They did not speak about it as a methodology in order for parents to be able to go to work. Rather, they spoke about childcare as a right of the child to be cared for in a safe environment. The childcare system in Iceland is tied to the education system. There is curriculum and sequence to it. We have a different format here which I think would take a considerable cultural shift. Iceland has a gap it is working on bridging between year 1 and year 2 when children are able to enter the system. Hearing people there talk about their childcare system was a very different experience.

I have a number of friends who studied early years education and who are qualified professionals. They have taken the time in their lives to invest in their education because they care about early years, childcare and working with children. However, they cannot afford to work in childcare. One of my friends had a child and could not afford, on her salary, to put her child into the childcare facility in which she is working, even with all the discounts, etc., available to her. That is madness. I do not wish to go on about this matter.

I know the Government is listening, but it is important to put on the record how our current policies, which we have the option and power to change, are affecting gender equality and driving women out of the workforce.We are a progressive society and we should be looking at equality and making this a better place for women, men and everyone else to live in. Our current policies are not doing that. This is impacting on women, families and people in poverty. Ultimately, it is impacting on children. If we cannot get things right for our children, I do not know who we can get things right for.