Everyone Benefits from Affordable Childcare — Even Those of Us Without Kids

Parents aren’t the only ones who need policy reforms.

Recently I was asked about my top policy priorities—what, given a magic wand and no comments section to wither the political will of allies, would I enact? And I gave the same answer that I’ve been giving for several years, which is childcare.

Well, technically, my answer is what I’ve been calling “bookend care” which packages together family leave with stipends, tax credits, and industry incentives for both childcare and eldercare. But that’s another essay entirely.

Anyway, this answer was surprising to the person I was talking to because I am famously a childfree hag whose hobbies include cackling mysteriously and baking neighborhood children in my oven. Why would I, a person who specifically underwent surgery to meddle in my Biblical purpose, care about other peoples’ children?

The answer is pretty easy: Because affordable, quality childcare and paid family leave are good for literally everyone in a functional society and continuing to go without is a massive mistake.

I want to quickly acknowledge that the root of this argument can be found in the ongoing struggle to force people to give a shit about one another; if you don’t…