OPINION: U.S. childcare policy is failing women

Photo by Aaron Burden

By Ali Ryan-Mosley, MIA ’22

Media messaging this month suggests that we are living in a society that respects and supports women. However, when the rising cost of childcare in the U.S. is pushing women out of the workforce, I wonder how far we have really come.

Earlier this month, Kim Kardashian infamously advised businesswomen to “get your f—ing ass up and work.” For many working moms in the U.S., though, it makes more financial sense to stay home.

The U.S. has one of the highest costs of childcare in comparison to other high-income economies. In the U.S., childcare costs about 31% of the average income for women, whereas countries like Germany, Austria, and Sweden have costs closer to 5% of the average wage.  Meanwhile, the cost of childcare is only increasing. Fortune suggests that the cost of center-based childcare in the U.S. increased 41% the past year.

The burden of childcare has historically fallen on women. And in the U.S., in some cases, it incentivizes parents — especially working moms — to leave the workforce to be the primary caretaker. The Center for American Progress estimates that there’s been a 13% decline in employed mothers with children under 5 years old due to the rising cost of childcare. In a society where women are told to “lean in” and focus on their careers, we are ignoring the fact that in many situations leaning in could cost money.

Research shows that women are leaving the U.S. economy at a disproportionate rate compared to men. From February 2020 to January 2021, more than 2.5 million women left the labor force compared to 1.8 million men. And in a different study of more than 2,500 working parents, one out of four women who became unemployed during the pandemic cited lack of childcare as the reason — double the rate of men.

For many, the cost of childcare in the U.S. is more than their mortgage. In Greensboro, North Carolina, Jessica Lolley and her husband have two kids with a family income in the low $70,000s. They pay over $24,000 for childcare a year, about a third of their income and significantly more than their mortgage. Likewise, Jamie and Matt Pritchard have three kids with a family income over $100,000. All three kids are in childcare and they are paying $34,000, more than double their mortgage. The reality is even more grim for low-income families and women of color.

There are many policy solutions that companies and politicians could quickly implement to ease the burden of childcare and allow women access to the economy. I recommend universal pre-kindergarten, which in practice would expand the public school system in the U.S. to include pre-K classes. To help with the earlier stages of childcare, I recommend government subsidies for childcare facilities and keeping more childcare workers employed while also lowering the cost for parents. Lastly, I urge the private sector to offer childcare in their benefits packages.

In sum, many view this as a textbook case of market failure. I don’t think that’s the full story. It seems to me that society, politicians, and cross-sector leaders don’t value women as much as their women’s month marketing campaigns suggest.

Ali Ryan-Mosley is a second-year Master of International Affairs candidate at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, where she studies human rights and gender in public policy. A researcher and activist for women's rights, she works in the office of Joseph Stiglitz, previously worked at the World Bank, and founded a nonprofit focused on women's empowerment research.