How the childcare system punishes women

Childcare in Australia is expensive and finding a spot can be really hard. Even if you never need it, getting it wrong matters for women’s rights and the economy. Today, we look at how we got it so wrong, the money being made and the ideas to try and fix it. We speak with a mother who’s struggled to get enough care for her children and hear how it’s set back her plans to return to work as a teacher. Alexandra Dockrill shares the financial and professional setbacks she faces due to the childcare crisis.A childcare expert explains why recent recommendations to the government fall short of the overhaul that the system needs. Professor Elizabeth Hill discusses the impact of privatisation on the sector and the challenges of implementing universal childcare. Featured: Alexandra Dockrill, NSW mother of twoElizabeth Hill, professor in the Department of Political Economy at the University of SydneyKey Topics:Childcare costs in AustraliaChildcare availabilityWomen’s rights and childcarePrivatisation of childcareUniversal childcareChildcare subsidiesEarly childhood educationGender equality in the workforce