Florrie W

I’m enraged by the Spring Budget. It feels like an attack on mothers.

In principle I support universal free childcare (as long as it is correctly funded and does not compromise quality which I’m deeply suspicious of here) but the problem with the lobbying power of Pregnant Than Screwed is that it’s not particularly intersectional. Whilst great news for mothers who WANT to return to work sooner, who enjoy their jobs and have careers that offer fulfilling progression, that is still only two fifths of mothers surveyed. That’s not even 50%. It’s a minority. And it has opened the doors for the government to target mothers on benefits. Currently the main carer (which is so often mothers) isn’t required to look for work/take work until their child turns 3 years old. I was strongly encouraged to start looking when my child turned two (because of the 2 year old offer) but it wasn’t a requirement. Once the free childcare from 9 months kicks in, mothers on benefits will be REQUIRED to send their baby into childcare and look for/take work from 9 months after giving birth. Often in jobs they don’t love and have no career progression. That CHOICE will be taken away from them. The right to be a stay-at-home mother whilst children are young will become a PRIVILEGE of the better off.

I am a feminist. But I am a feminist for policies that support ALL people who identify as women, and do not trade improvements for one group of women (and this primarily improves life for white, middle class women) at the detriment of another.