What if Cummings were a woman?
During Boris Johnson’s appearance before the Liaison Committee this week, Conservative MP Caroline Noakes asked him what specific thought he had to ensure a functioning childcare sector that would enable women to return to work.
By my count he used 13 filler words (‘erm’, ‘well’, ‘er’, ‘and and’) in his short response that concluded with the very unspecific intent to “do what it takes”.
When she asked him how many women was enough, he giggled nervously and said “Oh boy”, only focusing on the question seriously when Sir Bernard Jenkin MP pointed out it wasn’t a joke.
This is important because, while we have all been distracted by Dominic’s “very severe childcare difficulties” (seen by many to be very normal childcare difficulties), the Institute for Fiscal Studies published a troubling report on how working families have been hit by the crisis.
A troubling report?
The study of 3,500 families of two opposite-gender parents found that mothers were:
47% more likely to have permanently lost their job or quit
14% more likely to have been furloughed during the crisis
The latter is significant as a business owner told me this week that he’s starting to see furloughing as a waiting room for redundancy. Contrary to some political dialogue, this isn’t because he’s some glass-hearted, Victorian mill-owner. He lies awake worrying the business will run out of money long before income picks up.
Meanwhile, those mothers who are still working have been able to do only one hour of uninterrupted paid work for every three hours done by men during lockdown. This barrier to deep work will play out in how many mothers are perceived to have performed while working from home. “Not very productive” mutters an IT manager. He’s sympathetic, but the work needs to be done and an 18-month-old screaming the house down and yanking at computer cables isn’t something he knows how to fix.
One-hour time slots per day
Gender divide
Over the next few weeks, as more businesses open, the divide between genders, especially those who are parents, is very likely to grow.
Most school children are not going back next week. Even for those lucky enough to be in the right year groups, as two of ours are, the offer is limited. Ours will get short days (initially two hours). Meanwhile, many parents remain worried about sending their kids, whatever the offer.
It all raises the prospect of Britain screaming back to the ‘70s in terms of the representation of women at decision-making levels of business and government. There are calls for the government to invest in childcare, increase child benefit, equalise parental leave and support flex and remote working. All of which are important. But what is really needed is a considered, medium and long term strategy to ensure representation at all levels.
Ironically, it would take good representation to draft such a strategy. One maverick adviser with childcare problems isn’t enough.
A wind of change?
A newspaper just called me to ask if we need a campaign to support women at this time. We do. But, as Caroline said, we need to be specific about what will drive change: in government, in business, and at home.
So tell me what you see that needs to change.
Email me your suggestions as quotes and videos so I can include them next week. My first is to replace one of the three men who advise the PM with a woman.
- Christine x
P.S. Couldn’t resist sharing Miss Penelope’s disco-dazzle frock, but it only makes sense if you watch the video.
