Family Futures

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remain invisible in the distribution of benefits. This seems

a high price to pay for taking the decision to raise a child,

a decision that contributes to the general good by adding a

future educated and productive person to the nation.

The vulnerability of mothers does not stop at their commit-

ment and involvement in nurturing children. It continues

through another season of their lives, when they often become

the caregivers for elderly parents.

In its ‘Availability of Family Caregivers’ 2012 study, the

American Association of Retired Persons Policy Institute found

that the average family caregiver is a 49-year-old woman who

works outside the home and spends about 20 hours per week

providing unpaid care to her mother for nearly five years. Nearly

two-thirds (65 per cent) of family caregivers are women. This

study also acknowledges that the majority of long-term care

to older persons is provided by family caregivers. Currently,

the family caregivers support ratio (defined as the number of

potential family caregivers aged 45-65 for each person aged 80

or older) in the United States is of seven potential caregivers for

every one aged 80 or older. By 2030, this number is expected to

decline sharply to four, dropping to three by 2050.

Inequality between the sexes has narrowed over the last

decades, and women now have more freedom to pursue paid

work outside the home. But a different kind of social injustice

has emerged between those with and without children. When

childless people retire, they will rely on the labour of the next

generation to provide for them. But the childless will not have

contributed as much as those with children to the cost of raising

that next generation. Mothers, by devoting time to raising and

educating the next generation of workers, are helping to make

everyone’s retirement more comfortable. Our societies, however,

make mothers pay an unwarranted penalty for that choice. To

many, the opportunity cost of being a mother is too high.

Often, societal changes are predicated by economic neces-

sity. Thus, the ‘unfinished business of the women’s movement’

may be resolved by a stark economic reality: the sea change in

demographic trends that will affect the world economy and devel-

opment in the twenty-first century. The developed world needs

women to have more children: the fertility rate for Organisation

for Economic Cooperation and Development countries is at 1.7,

well below the replacement rate of 2.1, while the United States

registered its lowest rate in 2012 since birth rates began being

recorded in 1909. At the same time, however, the developed

world needs women to participate in the workforce to contribute

financially to the retirement benefits of baby boomers, while also

ensuring their care-giving. In 2008 there were 4.7 working-age

Americans for every retirement-age American, and by 2050 that

number is projected to drop to 2.6. In Europe, the numbers are

even more worrying, dropping to 2.1.

By contrast, in the developing world, while some fertility rates

are declining, they remain well above the replacement rate. But

the challenge here is to ensure that parents, and notably mothers,

are in environments where poverty, failing local infrastructure,

cultural and religious beliefs do not adversely impact and burden

their already fragile ability to care for the economic and emotional

well-being of their children. Mothers need to be supported and

helped in their quest to bring up future generations of educated

and empowered adults who will bring development to their

economies. If human capital is the ultimate fount of progress, as

most economists and sociologists agree upon, then mothers –

and other caregivers – are the most important producers in the

economy, for they are the ones most responsible for nurturing

and growing this capital, particularly in the early years.

Conclusion and recommendations

Our research has shown that more than 70 per cent of

mothers wish to work outside the home, but privilege above

all the ability to have flexible work schedules. Countries that

make it easier for working parents to look after their own chil-

dren – for example by extending parental leave, shortening

the work week, encouraging flexible work time, implement-

ing high-quality and affordable public childcare, offering

‘homecare allowances’ and allowing stay-at-home mothers to

benefit from social security and retirement schemes – would

reap the fruit of their investment by ensuring a current and

future vibrant workforce, a stable and productive society,

less stressed parents and, in the case of poorer countries, an

opportunity to break the cycle of poverty.

We call upon policymakers and employers to make a

concerted effort to analyse and implement ways that the

workplace can truly embrace flexible time or re-entry after

extended absence due to family care. It is time to listen to

those of us who have innovative solutions, think outside the

box and understand the issues first-hand.

MMM: role and mission

MMM is an international non-governmental organization in general

consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social

Council and Department for Public Information. For 65 years MMM

has federated associations from widely different backgrounds working

for and with mothers to ensure at least the basics of human security

and improved quality of life. The input of mother and father into

bringing up children is – or should be – symbiotic, equal, different

but complementary. However, research has shown that it is mothers

who have the most profound – and lasting – influence from a child’s

earliest moments. For this reason MMM seeks to address many social

issues through the natural authority of mothers. To reinforce its open,

inclusive character, MMM defines itself as an independent, apolitical

and non-denominational movement. MMM is managed by mothers

who volunteer to support the work of representation and the activities

of its member associations throughout the world. MMM is run by

mothers, for mothers and their children and families.

The founding document of principles of MMM states:

“A mother is the most powerful influence on the life of the family

and, therefore, on the cultural, economic and social life of the nation.

It is vital that public opinion and policymakers recognize and value the

irreplaceable contribution of mothers throughout the world.”

Image: MMM