Household and economics

A new mother is no longer expected to experience the pain of childbirth as a pleasure. She doesn’t have to sacrifice her hobby (deep-sea diving) or herself and celebrate diaper changes instead. It is unlikely that anyone asks her to share a bed with a child for the first three years or to give up working life until the child is 18 years old. The working mother is no longer overly suspected of betraying her femininity for her career. And placing offspring in a nursery no longer borders on child abuse. Quite the opposite.

On March 1, the National Council will vote on whether the federal government should take on up to 20 percent of child care costs in the future. Financial incentives are designed to encourage mothers to return to work. Because about 130 francs a day with a child, external care costs the family dearly. And starting a family in Switzerland still results in a quintessentially feminine and quintessentially masculine resume: most fathers (87 percent) work full-time outside the home, most mothers work part-time (78 percent) or don’t work at all.

There are also more gloomy figures. Even ten years after the birth of their first child, the child penalty for Swiss mothers is hefty: on average, they earn 60 percent less than childless women. On the other hand, fatherhood almost never results in lost wages.

The Kita template can be seen as a welcome contribution to the creation of women’s economic independence. As a contribution to real equality. But the argument is primarily based on an economic side effect: With cheaper childcare, more mothers have to return to work, which in turn can lead to economic gains and reduce the shortage of skilled workers.

Perhaps this argument will help push the question through. But what if it’s not true? If, as the study shows, cheap kindergarten places are not very beneficial for the economy?

Then you need to remember the main thing. The upbringing of children is equally in the hands of both parents. New fathers and new mothers must be able to overcome traditional role models. Thanks to sufficient and affordable places in kindergartens. Everything will be fine.

Ursula von Arx knows that raising children is hard work. And so against the fact that only men can, of course, avoid it. Von Arx writes to Bleek every second Monday.

Source: Blick