Sir, – As someone who so recently campaigned vigorously for equality in the marriage referendum, Minister for Children Katherine Zappone is now presiding over a huge inequality – the widening of the gap between working parents and those who choose to stay at home to care for their children.
With her “universal” childcare provision in the budget, Dr Zappone will make it yet more difficult financially for a family to choose childcare by a parent or family member.
There seems to be some assumption that all stay-at-home parents are either doing so against their wills, as they just can’t afford to work; or that they are so super-wealthy that they don’t need to work, and spend their days relaxing.
The reality is that many have chosen to step away from work to be at home to care for their own children, as they feel it is important for their families and beneficial for their children. Many more parents who work outside the home would love the opportunity to be stay-at-home parents, if only they could afford to do so.
As a stay-at-home parent, I don’t want or expect to be paid for my work as a childcare provider. I have chosen to forego my salary in order to care for my children. I do, however, want to see an end to the clear discrimination that already exists in the tax system against one-income households with a parent at home, discrimination which is now being increased further with this new subsidy. The paltry increase of €100 in the home carer’s tax credit goes nowhere near addressing this inequality.
Comments by the Taoiseach that “if the State wishes to subsidise children’s care, we need to know where the children are and who their childminders are” are insulting in the extreme to stay at home parents and family carers.
Are parent or family childcare providers only valued once they have completed childcare qualifications and registered with Tusla?
Should we be subject to Tusla inspections in our own homes?
Can we not be trusted to care for our own children?
Stay-at-home parents may not contribute much to the economy in taxes (though many have contributed plenty in prior employment); however, the value to our children, our communities and society at large is something that cannot be given a monetary value.
It is time that Dr Zappone and this Government woke up to that fact, and rectified this inequality. – Yours, etc,
ELAINE NOONAN,
Glenageary,
Co Dublin.