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Switching the genders shows how sexist a statement really is. How often have you heard any of these - "That 10 year old is so badly behaved! Hasn't her father taught her any manners?" "Your wife is with the kids right now? You're so lucky she's such a hands-on mum!" "My husband works, you see, so it's tricky to juggle childcare." Personally I've never heard any of them. They sound weird - even hard to understand. But I've certainly heard the other versions: "That 10 year old is so badly behaved! Hasn't her mother taught her any manners?" "Your husband's with the kids right now? You're so lucky he's such a hands-on dad!" "My wife works, you see, so it's tricky to juggle childcare." My International Women’s Day wish is that we become more conscious of the hidden biases inside the things we say every day. Because it's these things that shape our attitudes, as well as reflect them. Sexist assumptions underpin how we fund and consume childcare; how we recognise and promote women in workplaces; how we constrain choices of boys and girls; etc. etc. Happy International Women's Day! 🔄 Repost to share with your network, and follow Rachel Carrell for more like this

We say we want economic growth. But apparently, not from parents. If small businesses are the engine of growth, childcare is the fuel. But you wouldn’t know it from current policy. Parents want to work. The jobs market wants them back. But they’re stuck — not because they lack ambition, but because flexible childcare doesn’t exist at the scale they need. Why? Because the system was designed decades ago for 9-to-5 lives. The regulations only allow for rigid, institutional childcare — and so that’s all we’ve got. Try finding care that works for shift workers, freelancers or part-time jobs. It’s almost impossible. Brace yourself for the logic gap: the tax system actively penalises you for hiring childcare. → If you hire a carer for your elderly mum, you get a £5k National Insurance allowance. → If you hire a nanny for your baby? Nothing. Just a bigger bill. So we subsidise eldercare, but tax childcare.   Make it make sense. Two easy fixes the government could make tomorrow:  👉 Extend the Employers’ NI allowance to childcarers 👉 Allow Childminder Agencies to register nannies (same standards, more flexible care) If we’re serious about growth, we need to start with the basics: let parents work. 🔄 Repost to share with your network, and follow Rachel Carrell for more like this