Women in Business Fall 2017

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16 | WOMEN IN BUSINESS—FALL 2017 PUBLISHED BY BUSINESS IN VANCOUVER Daycare dilemma downtown locations to Vancouver’s existing 20,000 child-care spaces. The city uses development fees to open new child-care spaces. But finding the right locations can be a challenge. One of the most innovative plans afoot is to open a child-care centre on a parkade roof in Gastown, says Mary Clare Zak, the city’s managing director of social policy. In Vancouver, where daycare costs can run as high as $2,000 per month, child care is the second-largest expense after housing, Zak says. The subsidized rate for Ritchie Bros. employees is $1,085 per month for infants and toddlers, less for older children. Non-employees pay $1,400 per month for the same age cohort. Cost and convenience considerations aside, there is a softer, less-mentioned benefit to on-site child care, says Turner of Ritchie Bros. Having children around really boosts morale, not just for parents, but for the whole company, she says. “Kids really brighten you up. They take away some of the seriousness.” Fanny Chow, a former childcare worker at Ritchie Bros. in-house child-care centre, kneels to play housecleaning with two young children at the centre | RITCHIE BROS. Christine Clements, corporate child-care director for Ritchie Bros., kneels to talk to a child in one of the outdoor play spaces at the daycare | RITCHIE BROS. A leadership course for women, by women. Because emotional intelligence skills are leadership skills. www.eitrainingcompany.com | www.eitc.ca/leadership | jill@eitrainingcompany.com
| 17 UNIVERSAL CHILD CARE KEY TO ATTRACTING AND RETAINING WOMEN JANET AUSTIN | Lack of services keeps best-educated generation of women from fully using their skills Second to housing, child care is the highest monthly expense for families with young children For the first time, the stars are aligned to achieve progress towards a high-quality universal child-care program. This is great news for women in the workforce. This summer, the federal government signed a deal with the provinces to provide $7.5 billion over 11 years to create more high-quality, affordable child-care spaces across the country. Provincially, the three major political parties all announced support for long-term investment in accessible, affordable child care. Collaboration on child-care between Ottawa and B.C. is an encouraging step towards social and economic equality. Second to housing, child care is the highest monthly expense for families with young children. In Vancouver, families can pay upwards of $1,400 per month for children under three – if they can find it. With child-care spaces for only 20 per cent of children, parents must deal with long wait-lists; for many, the lack of child care means they must consider options that limit their full participation in the workforce. It is generally women who defer or limit their career aspirations. Despite an increase in the number of fathers who play an active role in the care of young children, women still carry the major share of the responsibility for unpaid care and domestic work. The high cost of child care has a direct impact on a woman’s decision to return to work after having children. Many shift to part-time work and leave the traditional practice of their professions to seek more genial work environments, just as they enter what should be their most productive years. It is not coincidental that women are having fewer children, later in life, than in past decades. In urban centres like Vancouver, many young families are making the difficult decision to move out of the city, due to affordability challenges driven by the high cost of housing and lack of affordable child care. It has been almost 20 years since Quebec implemented a universal child-care system, and analysis by respected economist Pierre Fortin demonstrates strong, positive results for women and the Quebec economy – engaging 70,000 more women in the labor force, boosting GDP by $5 billion and reducing poverty and welfare rates. It also provides increased autonomy for mothers, enabling them to study, increase their incomes and advance their careers according to their education and aspirations. Financial security is higher for women in Quebec who have access to a universal child-care system than it is for women in other provinces that use a subsidy-based funding model. Public funding for a universal child-care system not only advances women’s equality and financial independence, but also offers a major economic opportunity for British Columbia and Canada. A 2017 McKinsey & Co. report found that increasing female participation in the labour force could grow the Canadian economy by $150 billion in 10 years. The research noted that B.C. would be one of four provinces to realize the greatest benefit. A recent economic analysis of the proposed $10-a-day child care plan for B.C. found that a universal program would boost the province’s GDP by $5.8 billion, create 69,000 jobs and pay for itself in federal and provincial tax revenues. The system would provide a strong start for children and make life more affordable for young families. The direct benefits to business are clear: labour supply increases. The cost of recruiting new employees – twice that of an annual salary – is saved. Productivity goes up and absenteeism goes down. At YWCA Metro Vancouver, we consistently achieve employee retention rates around 90 per cent or better – a strong result for a non-profit organization with a largely female workforce that compensates employees at the mid-point of the market. Our success is due to our commitment to family-friendly workplace practices, including priority access to our quality child-care facilities. The YWCA has long encouraged a cross-partisan approach to childcare and we are delighted that all three of B.C.’s major political parties have now recognized the importance of this investment. With the promise of federal/provincial collaboration before us, we have an opportunity to finally realize the foundational economic and social benefits that universal child care will bring. We must take it! Janet Austin is the CEO of YWCA Metro Vancouver.
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