Who are these people that the government want to get back to work?

[MissHoneysHappyEnding]

As in, the workers who they hope will come back because of free childcare.
I don't know many mums that don't go back to work straight away.
The few I have met feel strongly about being at home and I don't think free hours would change that.
The ones (two) I have met who left jobs and would like to return but can't afford childcare are in healthcare and hospitality where regular shifts don't fit in with nursery opening times anyway.
Tbh and only in my opinion, a lot of the 'we can't afford childcare so I had to give up my job' crew are often told that by controlling DH/ DPs or don't really want to go back to work anyway. Happy to be proved wrong!

Depends. Neither nursery I used for my kids would accept the 30 hours for over 3s, only the 15 so I don't know whether that will be the case with the new scheme.

If good quality childcare was actually free / a token amount of money like in Scandinavia then I would have gone back to work but it didn't add up financially and I was in a professional job.

The issue is that I've now been out of work for 7 years and it's now much harder for me to reenter at the level I was at.

I would have benefitted from this scheme but it's too late for me. I know I shouldn't feel like this but I already feel like a washed up has-been.

I've heard a lot about senior doctors and the lifetime pension thing being an issue. Reading between the lines I think the pension rules are to try and stop even more doctors leaving the NHS and creating even more of a crisis.

But tbh if you have retired already presumably you have a plan in place to afford it and I can't imagine being enticed back into work.

@Cheeseandhoney that's the way it goes particularly for my generation, 50ish. Behin

Behind every seniorish post is some female sacrifice. Whether that's your mum or mil or a decision not to have kids or to utilise women on minimum wage or minimising it to exchange board and getting language lessons from a couple of toddlers.

It's awful, and it is changing rapidly. When it was all fields on Mumsnet there were a lot more highly qualified women stepping out of employment for long periods of time.

I can't see locally, particularly after COVID, an increase in quality child care, after school clubs and importantly school holiday care.
So family life with two full time wages is incredibly stressful. Who is bearing the brunt of this?

Behind every seniorish post is some female sacrifice. Whether that's your mum or mil or a decision not to have kids or to utilise women on minimum wage or minimising it to exchange board and getting language lessons from a couple of toddlers.

Not just behind seniorish posts. Those women that are on minimum wage are often there because they have sacrificed their careers, to either raise children or look after relatives. Where I work we all have degrees, we all had potential but all make barely more than minimum wage due to caring responsibilities.

You are right @FailingFlyFightingtoFlutter at every level we have women carrying the mental and physical load of family life and compromising.
Lots of businesses and whole weathers of industry give just enough flexibility to attract highly qualified, competent, creative staff at ridiculous minimum cost. (Thinking about amazing TAs and local small retailers)
One of my daughter's is pretty keen not to have children, she has never wanted to compromise and has had the tantrums to back that up in younger years.