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THE LACK OF affordable, accessible, quality childcare is one of the biggest obstacles to women’s equal participation in employment and in public and civic life in Ireland today. As we enter a period of economic recovery Budget 2016 provides an urgent opportunity to take much-needed steps to end the childcare crisis and ensure real career choices for women.
The National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) has consistently flagged the importance of investment in childcare and in early years education. In 2005, we published “An Affordable, Accessible Childcare Model”, and the government was presented with an opportunity to develop a quality, publicly subsidised model of childcare on par with other European countries. Since this report was published, there have been numerous reports recommending a Scandinavian model of affordable childcare, yet successive governments have failed to deliver.
Responsibility
Currently, the costs of childcare in Ireland remain amongst the highest in the OECD and in the EU with many Irish parents paying over 40% of their incomes on looking after children. As the primary responsibility for childcare in Ireland continues to be placed on women, these high costs have had a devastating impact on gender equality in Ireland.
The burden on families who are paying between €800 – €1,000 per month for a full time childcare place is financially crippling and has been consistently ignored by government. Quality care costs. That these costs are mainly borne by women in the home or women in badly paid care work means we can pretend that this work doesn’t come at a price.
The failure of our policies to give visibility, value, and support to care work is a significant factor in economic inequality between women and men. Until care work is adequately valued, women will remain vastly over-represented in unpaid and low paid work, and hugely under-represented in high paid work.
Increased quality standards in the childcare sector also requires an investment in pay and conditions for childcare workers, of whom the vast majority are women.
A better outcome
Good practice models both in the EU and internationally show that the inclusion of gender equality objectives within Early Years policies leads to better outcomes for all. The optimum model for mothers and for children requires significant investment. Currently Ireland is spending between 0.2-0.4% of GDP which is significantly below the EU average of 0.7% and the UNICEF target of 1% of GDP. Delivery of this essential infrastructure will require clear commitment to increase and ring fence spending over the next five years towards that 1% target.
Investment in early years education and care will both have immediate benefits and set us on a course to provide a sustainable childcare infrastructure in the future. NWCI recommends that Budget 2016 delivers a combination of paid parental leave and the introduction of affordable childcare. Minister Reilly and the government must introduce two weeks paternity leave for fathers on birth of their child, and announce six months paid parental leave following maternity leave, to be introduced incrementally over three Budgets.
The first two months paid parental leave should be introduced in Budget 2016.
To achieve affordable childcare for children aged six months to three years, Budget 2016 should cap childcare fees for all parents. Currently this would be €180 per week for a full time childcare place based on ECCE subsidization. The government must also announce a subsidisation scheme so that childcare costs will be reduced for all parents, based on a sliding scale according to income, with those on lowest income receiving full subsidization and the maximum parental contribution set at 40% of childcare costs.
Government choices
The scheme should be introduced over three Budgets with a 20% subsidy in Budget 2016.
Finally, in terms of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), government must introduce free ECCE for all children from when they reach three years until they enter primary school and also extend the hours of ECCE to 20 hours per week for up to 48 weeks per year.
The choices the government are making in Budget 2016 are not simply about how to balance or what to protect, they are decisions around our priorities and direction as a nation. Women’s equal participation in public and civic life is predicated on the delivery of affordable, quality childcare. And increasing women’s participation in the labour force is critical for recovery. No more reports, no more excuses. Deliver affordable, quality childcare now.
Orla O’Connor is the Director of the National Women’s Council of Ireland. NWCI is the leading national women’s membership organisation seeking equality between women and men.
Our research on an affordable childcare model is available here.
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About time the amount of drivers who I see breaking red lights everyday is ridiculous,No enforcement=No fear of being caught.
this is not the first there used to be one at the lights on the N11 at rte heading into town
Hear hear. Only yesterday I came to an amber went across junction gut behind me breaks the red light. Never mind him breaking red light. I am thinking if I had of stopped would my car be sqaushed with me in it.
Stopped at the lights down by Hueston Station, lights go green for traffic to move and hey presto the bloody Luas Tram breaks the red light! This works both ways.
This exact system was in place in Los Angeles and was subsequently decommissioned a few years back because it was found to be ineffective as well as not being cost effective.
Will it catch cyclists .
Deco, only if the cyclists have number plates!!
They should have if they are road users.
a good clothesline will catch cyclists.
The gardai were there this morning stopping cyclists that broke the lights
Pedestrians also cross roads and break lights. We should make people wear number plates.
Well that didn’t take long.
Yeah, we’re all as bad as each other. Road planning is at fault, we’re years behind some countries. Bit of respect on all sides wouldn’t go astray too.
At last. They need them in Galway, where amber light means speed up and red means take a chance for a lot of idiot drivers. Give us more of these cameras. And shut up about it being a tax.. there is no tax for stupid.
Wow, at last traffic enforcement in Dublin meets the 20th century! So when will we see these at all Luas and large junctions in the city?
Hopefully this will stop all the taxi’s, trucks, vans and cars who think that saving themselves a couple of minutes is worth risking serious damage to people and property, as well as bringing transport to a halt for there own selfish gains…
21st century Integra-Ted!
Actually Gus:
1988: The first red light cameras were introduced in an initiative in the City of Nottingham following a triple fatal road traffic accident at a traffic light controlled road junction.
We need these cameras everywhere seeing as we have a reduced Gardai force ….. I’m sick of 2 cars deciding to go through the red light every morning – not at a particular juction but most junctions I stop at. Never a Garda around when one is needed!
Yes! About time expect lots more of these cameras folks!
Been in australia sense i landed here 10 years ago….. no talking your way out of a ticket from these machines……. if prefer a cop to catch me any day you would have some chance
So true jamie, can’t understand why you get the reds
Stop when the light is red and you won’t get a ticket.
Just need them for cyclists now…
What a Genius!
Let’s hope facial recognition technology is so cheap and advanced that it can identify a cyclist from there backside and issue imaginary penalty points to a non-existent Bicyclist licencing system!
I really can’t believe these are the first, welcome to the 20th century Ireland! ( i know its the 21st, it’s called irony)
see comments above. they’ve been in England since the 80′s
Has anyone even thought to ask? Why most of the accidents on the red line seem to happen at this junction with the luas. After all there are about 30ish cross luas/ traffic junctions on the red line. Compared to 4 on green line.
It has been suggested that there is a recurring ,self correcting ,cumulative error. With the timing at these lights.
It will be interesting to see what this camera shows.
*At this junction and the Queen Street junction*
A bit ironic that the first ” red light camera ” is being installed in a well-known red light area…….or so I’m told !!
Is there anyway we can apply this for Cyclists as well? It would make a bloody fortune.
That explains why there were two guards on both sides of the junction looking at the traffic
It always amazes me where they pull Gardai from in these cases, there was a Garda posted at the junction of Pearse St./ Westmoreland St. for months to enforce the bus gate, even though there are huge electronic signs. Why can’t the authorities cop on that systematic enforcement of the laws, rather than piecemeal reaction to given situations, leads to better observance.
There is a camera in place at island bridge for the last few years, inbound. I’m sure its still in use.
The Island Bridge one was part of this trial. There used to be an older one there before (apparently at an older academic trial) and it was replaced around the time the Blackhall Place camera was put in.
Isn’t there one at the big roundabout heading into Heuston Station on the Con Colbert Road?
Also one at Talbot St – Gardener St junction
Didn’t they run that one as a trial a few years back and then turn it off?
Cyclists??
cyclist – noun: a person who rides a bicycle. hope that helps
Can’t believe this is only being installed in 2015. I got caught in england on one of these in 2000
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