Robert Cherry and Robert Lerman
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780814717189
- eISBN:
- 9780814769904
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9780814717189.003.0005
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
This chapter argues that child care support does not simply enable women to maintain employment, it also makes it sensible for many working mothers to enroll in job training and educational programs ...
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This chapter argues that child care support does not simply enable women to maintain employment, it also makes it sensible for many working mothers to enroll in job training and educational programs that enable them to enhance their careers. For many, child care support is the only way they can sustain the additional hours associated with working in many traditional male-dominated occupations. As working mothers' pay increases, they gain less from government-subsidized child care. For these mothers, improved child-related federal and state tax benefits can substantially reduce the costs of child care. The chapter shows how Workforce Investment Act (WIA) training programs help increase female access to male-dominated occupations rather than continue to direct women into traditional female occupations. Training programs should also be made available to working mothers who want to enhance their skills, rather than being reserved solely for the underemployed and unemployed.Less
This chapter argues that child care support does not simply enable women to maintain employment, it also makes it sensible for many working mothers to enroll in job training and educational programs that enable them to enhance their careers. For many, child care support is the only way they can sustain the additional hours associated with working in many traditional male-dominated occupations. As working mothers' pay increases, they gain less from government-subsidized child care. For these mothers, improved child-related federal and state tax benefits can substantially reduce the costs of child care. The chapter shows how Workforce Investment Act (WIA) training programs help increase female access to male-dominated occupations rather than continue to direct women into traditional female occupations. Training programs should also be made available to working mothers who want to enhance their skills, rather than being reserved solely for the underemployed and unemployed.
