Introduction
Care is essential to infants’ wellbeing and development; it is the responsibility of many stakeholders, although mostly left for female parents. In some cases, parents are pushed to their limits to balance between providing for the families and raising their babies (Brewer & Cattan, 2017). Such demands have resulted in alternative approaches such as hiring nannies, taking toddlers to creche, or starting school at a significantly tender age (Gambaro, Marcus, & Frauke, 2019). Results of a cross-sectional study in 37 countries established that “women typically undertake 75% of childcare responsibilities” (Samman et al., 2016). The regional context also plays a role in raring young ones as it defines things such as breadwinning tasks, gender roles, maternity leaves, and others.
The early childhood developmental experiences are crucial as they form the foundation of life. According to Blossfeleld et al. (2017), sprogs who experience neglect in their formative years are more likely to have mental health issues and remain in a lower socio-economic niche as adults. Traditionally, the gender roles were well-defined such that the men were tasked with breadwinning positions, whereas the women focused on domestic duties. However, in developed nations, Moilanen, May, Räikkönen, Sevón, and Laakso (2016) state that ladies work in a formal setting for 5 to 9 hours daily. The paper has implications for employers, society, nursery administrators, and nannies as it will provide options to enhance toddlers’ wellness. This paper aims to discuss the relevance of sociocultural context in childcare, focusing on the UAE and the Norway and Japan context.
Description
There is an increase in the maternal workforce globally, which has created a significant gap in infant supervision. For instance, in Japan, the employment of women increased from 34% in 1985 to 41% in 2010 (Takaku, 2019). The female-to-male labor force ratio in the United Kingdom is 71:82 (Somerset, 2018). Such trends are common in almost all countries as people struggle to enhance their living standards in a highly competitive world. With both parents in employment, the infants are taken to either the healthcare facilities or nannies are hired. Grandparents and other relatives can also be involved in caring for babies. The sprogs who have achieved key milestones like walking, potty-training, and talking are taken to schools before attaining the set age. The sociological theory by Talcott Parsons proposes that feminine roles are anchored in internal family affairs while the masculine role is for the occupational roles (Yu, 2015). The employment of wives thus threatens the complementary duties of spouses and weakens the family fabrics.
Many issues arise from alternative caregivers, which are potentially harmful to future generations. One of the areas that the toddlers have to endure is nutrition feeding. The World Health Organization states that babies should survive exclusively on breast milk for the first six months after birth (Taha, Garemo, & Nanda, 2020). However, employers only provide short maternal leave, which means that the babies are introduced to other food early, which has negative implications (Atabay et al., 2015). Anxiety issues are also common in neonates who are left to stay with different nannies while they are still young. Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development indicates that brain development in the formative stages is vital and that secure attachment is needed (Blossfeld, Kulic, Skopek, & Triventi, 2017). The other challenge is ensuring hygiene and controlling infectious diseases, especially in nursery facilities where a single person has to take care of more than ten neonates at a time. The sacrifices of mothers to leave their young ones behind to fetch money has emotional toil, which reduces their performance at the workplace.
Childcare in UAE
Childcare in UAE is more complicated, given that the maternity laws only allow women to have a six-week break after childbirth (Taha et al., 2020). Choices have to be made between resigning from work, hiring a nanny, and taking the neonate to the nursery. In all cases, the dilemma to the parent is evident since all options come with a sacrifice and some rewards. For instance, an article published by Gulf News reports a woman frustrated and jealous because the newborn was forming an attachment with the maid (UAE Parent, 2020). Such experiences reflect the difficulty of offering a better life for a neonate but missing out on the required bonding.
Most nannies are untrained and young, hence, may also not be able to take good care of the children. Findings indicate that 70% of burn-related accidents on kids happened under housemaids’ care (Baby & Child, 2017). Such recklessness among domestic workers can be a result of stress. Women leave their kids behind to take care of those of their employers, which results in depression and reduced performance. It is worth noting that most of the people employed to work in the house are females in their childbearing season. Some leave their homes for years searching for greener pastures as expatriates, but they always remember their young ones and feel stressed. Besides, since the pay for housemaids is low and they have additional roles such as cooking and cleaning, it may be difficult for them to give the infant more concentration.
Toddlers spend more of their awake time with the house helps who may not be good at providing discipline. At least 58% of babies below the age of three are under the care of nannies for 30-70 hours weekly (Baby & Child, 2017). One critical aspect of upbringing is providing direction and training in life skills (Zakaria, 2018). This role is expected to be done by parents, but due to their busy schedules, they end up leaving the children without guidance. The result is increased mental health issues among adolescents (Al-Yateem et al., 2020). A story of a grade four sprog in UAE who ran away from home for about 10 hours shows that there is a parent care crisis (Runaway child’s case, 2016).
The majority of the workforce in UAE are expatriates who have no other family members residing in the country. Bennet (2009) records that 90% of the infants (ages 0-4 years) taken to nurseries are non-nationals. Yet, based on the same report, 5.4% of the staff in these care facilities speak only Arabic, which may be confusing for children who speak different languages at home. The young ones have to cope with the environment at the creche and the one in the house, increasing anxiety levels. The official age for starting school in UAE is four years (Shabandri, 2014). For older kids, the option of the nursery is better as it allows for peer interaction and play (Clark, 2020). Parents should consider different aspects such as the level of training given to the educators, age of the child, and quality standards when deciding on the resident for a baby.
Childcare in Norway
Norway is a country with a developed economy that is mindful of families and has supported policies that enable parents to spend more time with their newborns. The number of women in informal employment in the country is 72.8%, which is higher compared to those of other neighboring regions (Horák & Horáková, 2017). The gender-gap difference in the workplace is low but not at the expense of family life since there are policies to protect nursing mothers. There are options for part-time employment and other virtual services, making it possible to balance between different aspects of a person’s life. The wages are also high to enhance stability in the standards of living. There is also a paternity leave with 60% pay, making the employment conditions favorable for both sexes (Gambaro, Stewart, & Waldfogel, 2014). Such measures help in strengthening family unity and providing a safe environment for the child’s growth.
The socio-cultural context of the region identifies caring for babies as a significant role to be fulfilled, if possible, by birth parents. A majority of Norwegian households, 52%, have both mother and father with few children, allowing for ample time for bringing up kids (Horák & Horáková, 2017). The country uses the Scandinavian welfare model aimed at providing extensive support to families with kids to strike a balance between their families and work. Working mothers are given a generous paid leave of one year upon giving birth (Gambaro et al., 2014). The implication is that exclusive breastfeeding for up to six months and then gradual weaning is possible. The woman can rest at home and take care of the baby without any financial stress. With this model, fewer women hire nannies or take the young ones to infant schools before one year. The children are more likely to have healthy attachments because of the safety at home.
Some policies dictate the specific requirements for establishing a nursery and the maximum possible fee. The youngest age that a sprog can be admitted to a childcare facility is at the age of one year. People working in such centers also have the necessary training and licensure that assures their competencies in taking care of the sprogs as required by the Day Care Institution Act of 1975 (Gambaro et al., 2014). Throughout the academic years, there is guidance and counseling for the students until they enter a career (Lorentzen, Bäckman, Ilmakunnas, & Kauppinen, 2019). In 1997 there was a reform made for primary schools to allow kids to start the first grade at the age of six instead of seven (Haldar & Røsvik, 2020). Parents have the option of homeschooling their toddlers, and the extended families work together in raising a child. The national laws are protective for children, which indicates substantial support by the government. Society is also egalitarian such that men and females collaborate to perform all duties.
Childcare in Japan
Japan was traditionally a communist society with a male breadwinner and female homework model, but more women are increasingly taking up formal employments. The demands for a 24 hours economy have increased the need for female laborers. As such, 41% of women in their prime ages earned their salary rather than depending on their husbands (Takaku, 2019). The challenges are that men in the country are still not willing to take up the responsibilities of being involved in the lives of infants. Mothers struggle to balance between their homes and job, causing physical and emotional exhaustion (Yu, 2015). The toddlers are exposed to neglect due to the modernization changes. However, the solution is not to revert to their gendered traditions but to embrace modernity demands. Male parents must realize that since their wives are now helping in providing for the families, they too need to help with house chores and bringing up toddlers.
There are insufficiencies of afterschool care facilities in Japan, which leaves mothers frustrated because there is no place to leave the young ones. Rich (2019) records that 20,000 babies in Japan are waiting to be enlisted in subsidized daycare. The number keeps increasing as the country has many vacancies needing to be filled up by women. In a survey, 45% of Japan’s parents said that they leave their children alone at home, 20% resigned from their employment. In comparison, 14% delegated the responsibilities of being with the kids to grandparents (Harding, Inagaki, & Lewis, 2020). Undernutrition and accidents are exceptionally high among the babies left without the supervision of an adult. The elderlies caring for toddlers are not as active and healthy to play with them. The possible solution is to construct places that pupils can be safe after school and spend time doing leisure and play. Qualified professions such as social workers, psychologists, and educators can provide foster parenting until the parents come from their workstations (Chaturvedi, 2019). The strategy will create opportunities for more jobs that will improve the economy of the nation.
Daycare workers also have babies of their own whom they have to care for and may neglect others. This is a challenge because new mothers do not feel safe about leaving their kids with such assistance. The government is also frustrated as it aims to increase the number of married women aged 25 to 50 years in the workforce from 72% to 80% (Rich, 2019). The decision to leave a child under the care of someone is a difficult one, especially when there is no trust. The government can provide cameras for monitoring the facilities remotely. In addition, people who have placed their toddlers in the care facility can be given access to check in the foster home at any time.
Comparison of The Three Countries
It is apparent that in all three countries, maternal employment is increasing, thus creating a childcare practice. Moreover, there is a wide range of solutions, such as care facilities, nannies, grandparents, or taking the kids to school at a very tender age. In UAE, working mothers are likely to employ untrained nannies to tend to their newborns merely six weeks after birth (Taha et al., 2020). Neglect, less breastfeeding, and nutritional care are common effects that toddlers go through in the country. Norway has the best childcare policies, and the nation has also embraced the culture of gender equality. There is up to one year of parental paid leave to provide ample development for infants before resumption to work (Gambaro et al., 2014). In Japan, there is a conflict between the reality of modernity, where females and males are in industrial sectors, and cultural values of wives as home workers and husbands as occupational providers. The other challenge in Japan is few after-school nurseries facilities, which force alternative care of grandparents or leaving the kids alone at home.
Recommendations
National employment policies should offer a minimum of semi-annual paid leave after maternity. The World Health Organization recommends that children should exclusively be given breastmilk for the first six months after birth (Taha et al., 2020). When nursing mothers are forced to resume office duties soon, the health of the infant is at risk. The model of Norway on workers’ welfare, which protects families, should be embraced by UAE and Japan. Fathers should also help with the responsibilities at home so that the mothers are not overwhelmed.
Schools and nursery facilities need to ensure that they hire sufficient personal who are qualified in taking care of toddlers. The duty of child-rearing is so critical to be left for unqualified personnel and risk quality development. For example, educators, psychologists, and nannies should have an operating license. Additionally, the places where children stay should observe high-quality hygiene, a playground with toys, and a resting place. Cameras should be installed to observe what the babies are doing at any given time.
The adults need to take responsibility for assisting in infant raising in the community just as they do national economic development. For example, relatives who have part-time jobs can help single-parent households by looking after toddlers. Local centers where adults can receive resources on available options for childcare should also be established to create awareness. Sexist beliefs should be discouraged to allow for more holistic care since kids require the attention of both parents. Finally, when a person senses neglect of a toddler within the neighborhood, relevant authorities should be notified.
Conclusion
There is an apparent paradigm shift in the family context since more women are gaining employment. The immediate repercussion is the global childcare crisis, which many parents are trying to solve with the help of their governments. The description of the issues in UAE, Norway, and Japan has revealed incredible insights on how policies, changes in traditional gendered culture, and cooperating between different stakeholders can help resolve the challenge. It is important to remember that the kids are the future generations and that formative years form the foundation for happy adults.
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