Women struggling to maintain careers due to lack of childcare reform

Twice as many women as men have to make career sacrifices to look after their families — and experts say this household expense is mostly to blame.

The nuclear family is enduring, with twice as many women as men making career sacrifices to look after their families, new research shows.

Some women are merely working to pay for childcare, taking home no money at all after out-of-pocket expenses are met.

The inaugural Australian Early Learning Monitor, a survey of nearly 5000 men and women, shows one in four women – compared to 18 per cent of men – say their career goals will not be achieved.

The poll, commissioned by the Minderoo Foundation, reveals three in five women are still struggling to maintain their careers and are considerably behind men in achieving their family goals due to a lack of early learning and childcare reform.

It shows 64 per cent of men say their live-in partner has made sacrifices to look after their family, compared to 36 per cent of women who say their partner has done the same.

Sixty-five per cent of younger men aged under 35 want the government to do more to help them take a more active role in raising children.

And 85 per cent of men and 82 per cent of women want quality childcare that fits in with times they want to work. More than seven out of ten also want better access to paid parental leave and more chances to work from home, the findings show.

Roydan Baillie and Morgan Madden with children Lily, 3, and Oscar, 1, at their home. Picture Rebecca Michael

Georgie Dent, executive director of advocacy group The Parenthood, said the figures were concerning and stressed the importance of working ­towards gender equality through childcare reform.

“Fifteen years ago, Australia ranked 15th in the world for tackling gender inequality but we’ve gone backwards. We now rank 50th. We need to prioritise women, just as much as anyone else,” she said.

“Almost 100,000 parents are kept out of the workforce and mothers are more likely to reduce work time to part-time than fathers (37 per cent against five per cent) to buffer the family from rising childcare costs. Affordable childcare is the key to unlocking options for women. It’s time for change,” Ms Dent said.

Dingley Village nurse Morgan Madden, 29, used to work full time but has dropped down to three days a week to enable her to look after her daughter Lily, 3, and son Oscar, 1.

“I work 22 and a half hours a week. My entire pay cheque goes to childcare,” she said.

“Luckily, they love childcare and I love going to work and enjoy my job.”

Ms Madden said her partner, electrician Roydan Baillie, 32, earned a lot more than she did, which was why he worked full time.