Home-based childcare providers play key role in gender equality quest
Roseline Akinyi, a sweet potato broker at Namba Stage in Migori County. The mother of four struggles daily to balance taking care of her child and working.
What you need to know:
- While childcare is as old as humanity, it has taken a while for most countries to view childcare as a profession and to develop the infrastructure required to make it universally accessible.
- A key factor fuelling this perception is that childcare is not seen as a public good or human right with corresponding obligations on the government as a duty bearer.
The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress.”
For those of us working to support the childcare sector, this theme couldn’t resonate more.
While childcare is as old as humanity, it has taken a while for most countries to view childcare as a profession and to develop the infrastructure required to make it universally accessible.
A key factor fuelling this perception is that childcare is not seen as a public good or human right with corresponding obligations on the government as a duty bearer.
Consequently, in these countries, there are few to no publicly funded childcare services. This lacuna is a cause for concern for many families, particularly low-income families.
The rising cost of living resulting from the shifts in economies and the highly capitalistic nature of our countries means that parents and guardians (the primary caregivers) work outside the home to meet the daily costs associated with having a family.
As a result, many families resort to private, informal arrangements to take care of their children.
The most common form of childcare that has filled this need is offered by families, friends, or neighbours, often with no fees.
Families that have the means can hire nannies who provide paid care in the family’s home. In the workplace, some companies have set up crèches that provide respite to working parents who are able to access childcare services at work.
Among the patchwork of care, home-based childcare is gaining traction, particularly in informal communities where providers, mostly women, care for a group of children in their homes.
It is estimated that more than 60 per cent of children in informal communities are taken care of in these settings, according to an upcoming study by the African Population and Health Research Centre and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
Little or no recognition
These home-based childcare providers often do not earn a living wage and they operate outside known legal frameworks with little to no recognition and protection.
The work of these women essentially subsidises what should be a public service.
It is unfortunate that they receive little to no support from our governments. Where support exists, it often comes from philanthropy and civil society, but it is not adequate to make their childcare work profitable.
These are the women that I choose to celebrate on this International Women’s Day. Women who consistently demonstrate the resilience that supports parents and the workforce in their communities.
It is imperative that they are recognised as critical care workers and given adequate resources to provide high-quality care to children.
This requires significant government investment to elevate childcare from a private right relying on personal arrangements by families to a public good that is universally accessible and publicly financed.
This is a significant social justice issue that requires us to make systematic changes to support the childcare sector.
To realise these changes, we need to create a public childcare system wherein care is delivered through two primary models: publicly funded facilities and centres, and homes and community spaces where providers are paid out of public funds and acknowledged as public service employees.
This will guarantee universal access and level the playing field for families. The International Labour Organisation found that investing in comprehensive and gender-transformative care policy packages, including universal childcare services, could generate up to 299 million jobs by 2035. About43 million jobs would be created if we invested in the childcare sector, according to the World Bank.
Some critics contend that childcare cannot be delivered through a public system because governments cannot afford it.
We must, however, remind ourselves that early childhood development is an important building block for creating egalitarian communities.
Studies show that when we invest in the early years, we set individuals and societies up for success.
When families are left on their own to find and fund childcare, inequalities are exacerbated and the quality of services is unverified.
As with other sectors, private actors have a role in ensuring the quality of and access to childcare services. However, a private-sector-only approach would relegate many families from low- and middle-income countries to the fringe of our society by exacerbating existing inequities.
Policymakers need to prioritise the financing of childcare services if we are to compete economically with the “Asian Tigers” that our governments keep referencing.
A high-quality, accessible, and affordable childcare system is the foundation of a strong nation.
In addition, I would also like to recognise women who take on innovative approaches to fill the gaps in the childcare space. Organisations such as SmartStart in South Africa; Kidogo, Tiny Totos, and Toto Care in Kenya; Mobile Creches in India; and OneSky in Vietnam provide training and support to home-based childcare providers.
They are the trailblazers who know the solutions to the problems we face. Through their programmes, thousands of women providing childcare have been trained in the Nurturing Care Framework to improve the quality of care that they provide, to meet the nutritional needs of children, and to improve their business acumen.
Gerardine Mukeshimana, vice president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, said, “Investing in women means investing in sustainable development. The return on investment isn’t just being able to beat poverty and inequality but building stronger institutions, economies, and entire communities.”
Her words ring true, especially on this International Women’s Day.
The writer is the Executive Director, NurtureFirst, a global funder and capacity builder that works to build and improve “systems” that support home-based childcare providers.
