Paying for Childcare

Abstract

Here, I make the case that each member of society can be expected to do better if more resources are dedicated to child rearing. This is for two reasons; first, it benefits everyone during their life stage as children. Moving resources towards children, and changing norms to be more child friendly, can be expected to benefit everyone, because childhood is a particularly significant part of a person’s life. It matters instrumentally – having good childhood is predictive of a good adulthood – and intrinsically, because people have a strong attachment to their childhood years. Second, it makes the project of raising children more attractive and this option benefits both parents and those who do not become parents.