Childcare refers to the supervision as well as care of a child whose age ranges from two weeks old to eighteen years. When a child is born, some people are forced to stop working for a while, whereas others have to quit school to take care of their newborn. This is because they cannot afford to pay for the childcare as it is expensive. This topic is important because it helps to understand why the employment rate is low among certain communities in American society. This research examines whether more families would return to work or college after a child is born and the childcare was free.
This study is needed because if individuals can go back to work or school as long as childcare is free, then it is important that the government finds ways to provide this for the people and reduce unemployment rate. The research is unique and original since it helps in establishing another reason for many people being out of employment. There have been studies before that have tried to determine the reasons behind low employment rates as well as individuals failing to complete school (Brewer, Cattan, Crawford et al., 2021). This paper looks at the issue of childcare and whether allowed to be free would enable new parents to go back to work or school.
Background
Parents to newborns, especially first-time parents, find it challenging to resume their normal lives mainly due to financial reasons. Students at college are not at a point in their lives where they are financially prepared for the responsibilities of bringing up a child. When it happens, one or both of the parents are forced to quit school to take care of the child. Apart from the college students, there are others who had been working but stopped primarily because they cannot afford to pay for the childcare. This has led to a rise in the rates of unemployment as well as people quitting school.
Despite the efforts of many researchers on the topic, their findings have not been consistent (Brewer, Cattan, Crawford et al., 2021). The reason for this is that most of their works indicate that they do not agree upon any aspect of the topic. There is a group that believes individuals quit their jobs because of the emotional attachment to their kids, while others believe that childcare being expensive cannot be a reason. This proves that there are loopholes in the studies that this research can address.
Obviously, there are other factors that can contribute to people choosing to stop working or studying after having a child, for instance, time management issues. However, when examining such factor and affordability of childcare, the latter is more reasonable. This research addresses the relationship between low employment rate and affordability of childcare which has not been made clear by the previous studies. The findings in those researches have consistently suggested that there is no connection between the two concepts.
Methodologies Used in Past Research
Past studies have mainly utilized document analysis method by accessing files of staff from various companies as well as files of students from various colleges in the country. The companies were selected based on the turnover rates, while colleges were selected based on the rates of dropout. Most of them used qualitative data to explain dropout cases and high turnover rates among new parents (Brewer, Cattan, Crawford et al., 2021). The survey method would have done a better job than document analysis as used by many because the responses come from the impacted people themselves. It is difficult to understand how someone feels or what influenced a decision by studying documents which renders the method as ineffective. This explains the inconsistency in the findings of the past studies (Brewer, Cattan, Crawford et al., 2021). The relationship between the affordability of childcare and dropout, as well as turnover cases, cannot be studied in the way the past researchers have attempted to do (Brewer, Cattan, Crawford et al., 2021). This study deserves participation of affected parties so that the information is reliable.
Societal Implications
Researching if free childcare can help reduce the unemployment rates and school dropout cases is important because the country is struggling to find ways to lower the unemployment rates. Additionally, the government needs to protect college students and ensure that they are able to complete school. The study differs from others conducted in the past as it helps the society to understand that there is another reason behind a rise in dropouts and turnover rates. By providing new information, it enables local, state and federal governments understand better ways to help the citizens in a way they could not in the past.
Conclusion
Many individuals are unable to afford childcare for their newborns, which leaves them with no other choice but to quit either work or school to take care of their children. It is important, even as the government continues to launch new programs targeted to reduce unemployment rates, to study how it can accomplish its goals more effectively. For instance, ensuring that childcare is free will guarantee that new parents continue with school or work since they are not worried about paying for it. Various studies have been conducted in the past about the topic but show inconsistency in the findings. This offers an opportunity for this study to fill the gaps left with those studies.
References
Brewer, M., Cattan, S., Crawford, C., & Rabe, B. (2021). Does more free childcare help parents work more?. Labour Economics, 102100. Web.