Wendy Tuohy: Stop laying into stay-at-home mums

WHY attack stay-at-home mothers as “a drain on the economy” rather than support them to work if they want, asks Wendy Tuohy.

IF you’re a working mother, you are selfish, if you stay at home you are a “drain on the economy” — just check the headlines.

Today’s report branding housewives “a drain on Australia’s economy” insults families whose decision it has been for a parent to stay home with little kids, and families desperate to get the stay-at-home parent earning but unable to afford childcare.

The trigger for a wave of slagging off women who stay home to parent was OECD research suggesting stay at home mothers had “the greatest untapped potential” for the Australian economy.

To coin a colloquialism “no s — t, Sherlock”. We’ve known for decades that if more mothers could get back to work it would be great for the nation’s bottom line, and a families’ own income — but we are simply not supporting women to do it. And we’re kicking them for not finding a way.

A working mother could lose up to two-thirds of her gross earnings in tax and childcare fees. Picture: Thinkstock

Just in January we published a story outlining how the nation’s already “chronic” shortage of subsidised childcare places would grow by 300,000 in the next three years.

“The latest government figures, released as part of the midyear budget update, reveal that the number of children needing care will swell to two million by 2019-20, up from 1.7 million this financial year.

“The system, which is already dogged by a long waiting list, will also need thousands of new outside school hours care services to cater for 96,000 extra children entering the system.”

But hey, why not kick those lazy stay-at-home mums.

To remind you of the choice many women face: due to the cost of childcare, some work for as little as $5 an hour. Yet promises to boost subsidies included in the last Federal Budgets have not been kept.

Last year a study by the ANU found a working mother could lose up to two-thirds of her gross earnings in tax and childcare fees and in some cases mothers are “going backwards” financially for the privilege of working.

Dropping out, though, means they accumulate less super and other benefits (holiday pay, sick leave), and miss out on career progression.

As technology increases, many find their skills are outdated when they are ready to return to work once kids start school.

For plenty of non-working mothers, staying at home with little children is emotionally and mentally fulfilling enough, but as today’s OECD report points out, others would very much benefit from the engagement with work.

Paid work is also “important for women’s personal wellbeing and perceptions of their overall quality of life’’, the OECD report said.

Why does the debate over whether a woman should work after she has kids always come down to attacking women’s choices anyway?

The parent-hating Grinch mob has been saying today that if you have kids it’s your choice and you should fund the entire cost of raising them without any help from fellow taxpayers.

Surely if economists, the government — or even the aforementioned Grinch mob — want more women working, then supporting them is a better way.

@wtuohy

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