Australia is a great place to have kids... In most ways. But right now we’re in a childcare crisis and the consequences are dire - for children, their families, communities and the economy. And, most particularly, for women. What’s the true cost of child care in this country? And what can be done about it?

Join host Georgie Dent as she shares real stories of parents paying the price and expert solutions. Over three episodes, she shares the stark reality of this broken system - and how we can make Australia the best place in the world to raise a child.

• At What Cost is an FW podcast in partnership with The Parenthood, a not-for-profit with a mission to make Australia the best place in the world to be a parent and raise a child. Join 80,000 other parents and carers today.
• Become an FW member to join the movement and fast-track your professional development
• Keep up with @futurewomen on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Threads

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia is known as the “lucky country”. So how did struggling to access affordable childcare become the norm? Amid a cost-of-living crunch, most families say they need two incomes to make ends meet. But with childcare fees in Australia being among the highest in the world, parents are caught in a “cost of working trap”: they can’t afford not to work, but the cost of care is so high it eats into their earnings.

The impact on all working families is devastating, but it’s mums who lose out the most. When childcare is too expensive, they’re more likely than dads to return to work part-time (or in insecure “flexible" roles), at lower salaries, and later than they'd like. The sky-high costs of childcare also directly impact women’s economic security, career progression and happiness – and fuel the gender pay gap and gender super gap, as well as homelessness later in life.

In this debut episode of “At What Cost?”, join host Georgie Dent as she speaks with parents and experts to examine the true cost of childcare in this country … and learns why – when Australia could be world-leading in setting children and families up to thrive – it’s instead lagging behind comparable countries.

• At What Cost is an FW podcast in partnership with The Parenthood, a not-for-profit with a mission to make Australia the best place in the world to be a parent and raise a child. Join 80,000 other parents and carers today
• Become an FW member to join the movement and fast-track your professional development
• Keep up with @futurewomen on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Threads

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When is a choice not a choice? Almost a quarter of Australia’s population is now living in a ‘childcare desert’ - and this scarcity means that many families’ financial and work schedules hinge on being offered a childcare spot in the first place.

In this episode, we hear from real parents and experts about the near-impossible workarounds for families who can’t access suitable childcare and can’t afford not to work: from regional mum Kelly, who forked out for a private carer when the local childcare refused her son full days of care, to agricultural workers taking their kids to work on the farm.

• At What Cost is an FW podcast in partnership with The Parenthood, a not-for-profit with a mission to make Australia the best place in the world to be a parent and raise a child. Join 80,000 other parents and carers today
• Become an FW member to join the movement and fast-track your professional development
• Keep up with @futurewomen on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Threads

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the blur of early parenthood, many parents don’t stop to think about how the roles they adopt at home – as the primary caregiver, or as the breadwinner – impact their careers and finances in the long-term. But they do. And when families can’t access affordable childcare, it’s generally women whose job security takes a hit. This fuels gender inequality on a national scale… contributing to the gender pay gap and the super gap. It also leaves real mums like Emma, whose story we hear in this episode, grappling with housing insecurity and an uncertain future.

Join our host Georgie Dent in our third and final full-length episode as we unpack the costs of the childcare crisis to gender equality and the economy Plus: experts share five key solutions that could help make childcare truly accessible and affordable for all – which would be transformative for our country, and especially women.

• At What Cost is an FW podcast in partnership with The Parenthood, a not-for-profit with a mission to make Australia the best place in the world to be a parent and raise a child. Join 80,000 other parents and carers today
• Become an FW member to join the movement and fast-track your professional development
• Keep up with @futurewomen on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Threads

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.