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Majority of women forced to abandon their career

By: Asma Ghani

ISLAMABAD — Though the Ministry of Women Development raves about its policy for empowering women, hardly any steps have been taken to ensure that proper childcare facilities are established to facilitate workingwomen.

As the number of the two-income households increases to help people make both ends meet, more and more people are relying on daycare centers to look after their children as they go about their daily tasks.

But so far, the ministry has been able to establish only one daycare centre with limited capacity and at wrong location to facilitate workingwomen.

The centre has been established on the 8th floor of the building near ministry offices having the capacity to keep around 13 pre-school age children.

The location where the center has been established is not at all suitable and cannot benefit majority of working women who want to avail the facility.

It’s been further learnt that many even don’t know about the center due to its not easily approachable location.

The parents arrange milk and other infant belongings themselves while the ministry has arranged two babysitters only to look after the children.

Thousands of female teachers have been working in the Capital but no serious effort has been made to facilitate them by the government so the teachers of few schools have set up childcare centers temporarily on their own.

“Majority of women abandon their careers after they give birth to children owing to lack of family and workplace support.

Daycare centers should be established by the government either by the Ministry of Women Development or by the Ministry of Education” a female teacher remarked while talking to TheNation.

“As we are employees of Education Ministry so we can only request the relevant ministry regarding the establishment of any childcare center,” they said. Though, the Ministry officials have agreed to the proposals but in practice, no steps have been taken in this regard, she added.

The teachers and other workingwomen believe that there’s a definite need for day care centers as more and more mothers of pre-school age children are forced to find jobs outside the home.

Over the years, daycare and childcare centers have become a security blanket for millions of working parents who need their children to be looked after during the day.
Source: The Nation
Date:10/24/2009