Why do people complain about childcare costs?

[Teawithsugar40]

I’m a working mother and 65% (was previously near 100%) of my salary goes on childcare, we get by but holidays etc are out of the question. We’re not rich and have small children, it’s just how it is. I don’t resent what we pay and feel quite lucky that we’re a few hundred better off than if I was doing the equally important job of caring for my children full time.
Maybe because when I had my first child there was absolutely no childcare help and scant provision but I really don’t understand so many people these days complaining about childcare costs, especially when it still leaves them better off working? Totally understand single parents needing help and thankfully they have had generous help for years but why are couples who are definitely not on the breadline complaining? Did they seriously think they could have children without making any sacrifices and why do they expect people often worse off them themselves to pay for maintaining their previous lifestyle?

I think because in some parts of the country it is just sooo expensive.

We pay ca 565 pounds to our childminder each month.

They get about 706 pounds, but we get 20 percent discount from the government.

It is for a full time place and I'm happy with what we pay.

I totally agree. I was only saying something similar to one of my children recently. She was complaining about having to go up chimneys to sweep. I was telling her how she should be happy to have any job at all, even if it just pays for a half loaf of stale bread. I mean it is just right and proper that our landlord insists we pay 110 percent of our incomes on rent. He has an estate to fund and everything.

I stayed at home so didn’t pay any, but I’d have resented working for virtually nothing. I don’t mind people moaning.

Hahahah @BeardyButton

Generally because the cost of childcare/living often outstrips wages in the U.K. It is worse than other comparable countries and leaves many deciding its financially better not to work. Also many childcare settings don't cover typical working hours. Lastly, children are sometimes not planned.

I don't think it's that childcare is necessarily so expensive but wages are so low.

Where I live, nurseries are between £70-£100 a day. You have to be a reasonably high earner to make it worthwhile.

To use your own example - if childcare is 65% plus of your salary then if you were a single parent or your partner made little money or living costs were higher, it'd be better for you not to work.

I don't get it either. Everybody knows what the costs are, or should, so plan before you have kids. I only ever paid minimal childcare. I had a job for 3 days, so only had to pay minimal on top of the free hours.

You assume everyone is a couple of hundred pounds better off and that they can afford to take that hit though OP.

My childcare costs came to £200 a month more than I earned in take home pay. It was nuts.

8 years ago, it would have cost us more than what I could earn as a teacher for fulltime nursery for our two children. Plus they would have been there 9+hrs a day.
Cost has risen since then, wages haven't...

Thats just the facts. Not a complaint, facts. I actually believe that childcare is a poorly paid job for the amount of responsibility.

Because so often childcare takes up 100% of a wage...

It's short term thinking.
Between age 1-3 when childcare is expensive, although there is 20% from government and UC will pay an amount of on low income of single parent. I was shocked that a friend in 37k still gets universal credit for her childcare, of course that's great but many people don't look into these options and write it off as expensive.

Then complain they can't find work between 9.30-2.30 mon-Fri term time when their children start school🤨🤨

Women should put their career at the same level of Importance as their partners, childcare costs are split. No one is working for nothing if the costs are shared.

Pension contributions, NI contributions, lack of increase in pay scales, losing skills and work connections are all lost for the woman most of the time. Protect those things by continuing to work. Think long term.

Because it’s really expensive and people can complain about anything they like? Are we also not allowed to complain about pregnancy being horrible, labour being painful, and newborns being tiny devils, because we chose to have children?

Why do some people not understand everyone's circumstances are different?

@teaandchocolate1

Yes we pay about £700 per month for part time nursery and childminder with the tax free deduction, £5 an hour per child to keep them safe, educated, entertained and safe is fantastic value! If they weren’t providing that service/care then I wouldn’t be earning anything at all or be able to keep my career going. I just don’t get couples that aren’t even struggling saying how awful it is that half their salary or 80% or whatever if they’ve chosen to have children with small age gaps goes on childcare. If they’re in an unexpected situation e.g one partner became ill or twins then totally sympathise but otherwise what did they expect?

@TwittleBee

Why do some people not understand everyone's circumstances are different?

I really am talking about couples who still seem to be able to afford holidays or the latest phones etc, not at all someone who is genuinely struggling to afford the basics

It should be heavily subsidised by the government. You can't panic about a falling birth rate while simultaneously making it prohibitively expensive to have children

I always knew that childcare costs were temporary and that by working part time I kept my career going.

Because it’s a large bill and people complain about large bills?

It’s not a race to the bottom OP. People are allowed to be disgruntled at wages being low and childcare costs being high.

Because people dont value it and think its easy. The per hour rate is really low for what you get. Its half the rate of a cleaner. The problem is you have to pay for a lot of hours and if you own hourly rate is also really low it takes most of your salary.

It's also a huge contributor to sex inequality. We know women's earnings decrease on average with every child they have. Some of that is down to mat leave but it's also the impact of women being the ones to stay at home, often because child care is so expensive. Universal childcare would go a long way to solving this imo.

@stuntbubbles

Because it’s really expensive and people can complain about anything they like? Are we also not allowed to complain about pregnancy being horrible, labour being painful, and newborns being tiny devils, because we chose to have children?

That is totally different, but it’s a bit like buying a car and complaining about basic cost of annual MOT and not even because you can’t afford it or them being made redundant. I have sympathy with people complaining about their car always breaking down, heating doesn’t work, tyre getting a puncture, rising fuel prices even though something like that half expected but would think them a bit strange complaining about MOT check unless even that was a struggle for them, same as childcare

Because it is essentially a tax on women.

Maybe because when I had my first child there was absolutely no childcare help and scant provision

When was this? Were you not in the UK?