Affordable Housing & Childcare At What Cost?
Last week we talked about how Donald Trump Wants To Get You Pregnant. The conversation has been intense out there, especially around the idea of offering a “baby bonus” to women who give birth. There were a lot of great points made on TikTok about why this isn’t a good idea, like for example, how it could incentivize teens to have children who think $5k sounds like a lot of money but don’t have the ability to think long term about how having to raise a child will actually make them poorer. I’m loving these conversations and will keep resharing great arguments on my TikTok and IG if you want to follow along.
I was also reminded this week that Kamala Harris ran on an idea of giving a $6k baby bonus to new parents, which my brain didn’t flag as hard at the time out of pure political bias. It sounds less evil and manipulative coming out of a liberal woman’s mouth to be honest, but even still, I stand firm that baby bonuses are not the right solution here. If she’d won and implemented them, I would have been critical of her plan too. It is ironic though that Trump’s team is now considering the ideas his opponent ran with… Just goes to show that politics are just a bunch of bullshit, and there’s more room for bipartisan collaboration than we’re led to believe. ANYWAY…
This week, we’re continuing the theme by looking at two recent pieces by Rachel Cohen for Vox that speak about two of the things women say actually would actually incentivize them to have children: affordable housing and childcare reform. I’m a big fan of Rachel’s work and have shared a few of her pieces in the past. These are deep dives on two of the biggies and just happened to both come out in April as the White House has been more vocal about their push for the next baby boom.
First up, affordable housing: Will Cheap Housing Lead To More Babies?
Some of you who own homes already might be thinking, “I own a home and I’m still on the fence.” Yeah, this is definitely not the only reason for being stuck, but the data definitely shows it has a significant impact for many. But I agree that it’s a complex web, and women need to see improvement across several areas before it’ll truly move the needle on the baby issue.
This article touches on the need for affordable housing but takes it a step further that communities also need to be designed for kids. Stroller friendly paths, more acceptance of children in public spaces, etc. (I actually already have the same article she referenced pinned for an upcoming week!) And while many of the solutions we’re seeing involve cramming more dwellings into smaller spaces, we need to remember that having a ton of affordable studio apartments won’t be the type of solution to encourage procreation.
And I think the growing differences between men and women educationally, politically and culturally are creating a divide in the dating world where a lot of women are even wondering if they want to pursue partnership anymore. The idea of settling down, buying a house and starting a family sounds like an outdated idea of the past to many modern women. It goes to show that targeting any one single factor in this decision won’t be enough.
Next up, childcare reform: Republicans Have A Plan For Cheaper Daycare. But Is It Safe?
If you only look at one thing from today’s post, let it be this article! Americans overwhelmingly agree we need affordable childcare, but the issue is that conservatives and liberals don’t agree on the best way to accomplish this. Essentially liberals are seeking more public funding while conservatives are pushing for industry deregulation to allow the market to sort itself out. Deregulation brings up a ton of safety concerns, especially for low income moms, that Republicans seem to be ignoring, it threatens the livelihood of many legitimate childcare providers, and in some cases it actually discourages women from returning to work. They’re not even hiding that fact… This section really stood out to me:
When Idaho won an $18 million federal grant for preschool development back in 2021, Republican legislators rejected the money, alleging it would fund far-left “woke” ideas and assist moms in working.
“Any bill that makes it easier or more convenient for mothers to come out of the home and let somebody else raise their child, I just don’t think that’s a good direction for us to be going,” one state representative argued during the legislative debates.
All eyes have been and remain on Idaho to see which direction the nation may go. Regardless of whether you have children or not, or even whether you want children or not, it’s extremely important that you pay attention to this issue as it has some pretty big implications for us all via the economy. This article is a bit longer than the first, but it’s worth the time.
If you’re on the fence about having kids and you have worries about housing and childcare, I think it’s really important you wrap your head around the current state of affairs and see where you can use your voice and your vote to improve things… either for yourself if you choose to have children, or for the children in your life that you love if not your own. Learning about this may reinforce feelings of “No” or it may help you strategize around it if you’re leaning “Yes”. I don’t know what the future holds, but this may give you a peek into what the next several years could look like if you’re looking to make a decision soon.
At the end of the day, while all of these issues certainly impact and influence you as you make your decision, remember to ground yourself in your own reality of your circumstances, your resources, and what you want for your own life. This isn’t about sticking it to Trump or JD Vance. This isn’t about Democrats or Republicans. It’s about you and your family and what you want to experience in this one life you get. You can still think all of this is bullshit and hate this administration and choose to have a child. You can find yourself unaffected personally by a lot of these issues and still choose to remain childfree. You have permission to choose whatever is right for you! Don’t lose sight of that.
Valerie
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