The "No-Parent-Left-Behind" Act  On April 17th, two French Ministers revealed a Charter of Parenthood, a non-enforceable text encouraging employers to better take into account parenthood. Major companies signed the Charter, including L’Oréal, Ernst & Young, Total and Starbucks. This initiative reflects a growing consensus among the French and European political class that, although efforts have been made over the past decade, it is still very hard for mothers and fathers to find childcare solutions for children under three years old, which is often times both detrimental for parent’s careers and children’s welfare.
perpetuating a system in which motherhood often equals professional sacrifice is economic nonsense
While French mothers enjoy a maternity leave of up to 26 weeks at full pay (eleven days for fathers) and a further leave that is available until the child’s third birthday (paid 530€ maximum), few solutions exist for those who want to keep working. An upgraded childcare policy would allow for positive impact on both children and parents’ careers. We must tackle the issue by providing parents, and especially the poorest, with more choices to jointly organize parenthood and a comprehensive work life. Parents should be encouraged and assisted, not deterred.
Because of both economic and cultural transformations promoting women’s rights and gender equality, more women work now than ever before. However, society has not adapted rapidly enough to this new paradigm and parents, especially mothers, as well as children, have suffered from this inadequacy. The lack of childcare solutions has forced many women, especially those with low qualifications, to accept part-time jobs (with lower remunerations and fewer social rights attached to them) or unemployment. In fact, one in every two French mothers of children under three is unemployed. Yet, to the extent that many data suggest that this is often not a real choice, perpetuating a system in which motherhood often equals professional sacrifice is economic nonsense. the system requires parents to be both breadwinners and nurturers but provides very little help to meet this challenge
Furthermore, many studies have shown that fighting parent’s unemployment is the best way to reduce child poverty . Working is essential for a single parent who wants to provide for his or her family. Or else they are doomed to poverty. Not surprisingly, the number of single-parent families rose - almost 3 million children in France now live with only one of their parents - while the number of families with children living in poverty has increased between the 1980’s and the 1990’s in OECD countries (except for Scandinavian countries). Unfortunately, the system requires parents to be both breadwinners and nurturers but provides very little help to meet this challenge. The situation is not sustainable and this is why a comprehensive “no parent left behind act” is needed right now.
First, policy makers could consider creating more incentives for companies to offer employees more flexibility in the way they want to organize their work time, so that they can meet the need of their young children. The Charter of Parenthood recently presented in France might be regarded as a first step, but it relies entirely on self-regulation and is still very vague. Basically, the companies commit themselves to “eliminate discriminatory measures” towards parent-workers and to raise awareness among their Human Resources executives about the issues parents face.
However, further initiatives could be taken so as to make sure all businesses help parents balance their career with their parental obligations. The State could play an important role in instigating such a move, for example by creating fiscal incentives for companies to put in place progressive human resources practices. But even so, parents can only be enticed to work if they are assured that, regardless of their income, their children will have access to professional caregivers, in facilities of high quality standards. reduce social inequalities in the long runFor that reason, the second and highly complementary element of the “no parent left behind” act is a public policy aimed at increasing the number of childcare institutions for children under three (before their entrance to pre-school). This system would have the potential to significantly reduce infant poverty by giving parents the choice to keep on working. It could also reduce social inequalities in the long run by providing every child with equal opportunities to early education.
Indeed, early childhood is an age when the most fundamental cognitive skills are developed, and a sound childcare system could make sure every child is provided with a stimulating environment. Childcare centers, through the various activities they organize, can play a key role in improving children’s welfare. They can do so by enhancing their knowledge acquisition capabilities over their entire education and life, fostering their social skills or helping to integrate children coming from immigrant backgrounds, thus reducing inequalities in the long term.
A “no parent left behind act” giving parents more work flexibility and providing them with fine childcare solutions would allow more parents, and chiefly mothers, to stay at work during their child’s early infancy. It would eventually increase the total employment rate, along with positive outcomes in overall wealth, consumption and Welfare State funding. It would also encourage parenthood in countries that are victims of demographic gloominess, such as Italy and Germany President Sarkozy’s promise to establish an guaranteed right (“droit opposable”) to a childcare plan
In an effort to tackle the challenge of balancing work and family responsibilities, the French Government recently announced that it has started working on President Sarkozy’s promise to establish an guaranteed right (“droit opposable”) to a childcare plan. Concretely, it would mean that every parent may require the State to provide them with a solution for childcare, whether organized by public bodies, parents cooperatives, companies, accredited family care providers or even through home care providers. While it is still unknown whether the plan will successfully address the multidimensional aspects of childcare, and most notably its relevance for reducing inequalities among children, it can only be welcomed.
Let us hope it can inspire other countries facing the same issue. “No parent left behind” is not only beneficial to parent’s careers and household’s revenues but also seeks to provide future citizens with more equal life opportunities. Children are our future and it is today’s citizens’ duty to make sure society is giving parents all the tools they need to raise them the best they can.
- Félix Tréguer is a student in the Master of Public Affairs at Sciences Po, Paris. His interests include women, traveling, music, psychedelia and tattoos, but also philosophy, social criticism and issues relating to civil liberties and Information and Communication Technologies.
One person has commented on this article.  1. UntitledGuest User, UnregisteredI live in Spain and my wife had to give up her job because we could not find any child care center to take care of our 1,5 year old. It's a very good think that Zapatero promised to deal with that issue by building more public centers.
But there is also a lot of work that can be done in companies: for instance, to reduce the workload of a young parent so that she, or he can spend more time with their young infant, companies could hire a student part-time (it would be beneficial to the parent, to the student, who can get a first hands-on experience, and to the company)... There are a lot of thinks we an think of to improve the way people evolve in the workplace. It's time for companies to understand that it is in their best interest! |
