Featured photo by Bingjiefu He. CC BY-SA 4.0.
The socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani advocates free universal childcare, claiming it’s essential for gender equity and economic necessity. He believes that costly childcare pushes women out of the workforce, harming productivity.
In writing about radical feminism, economist Murray Rothbard pondered the issue of universal childcare. Why does a childcare shortage exist? Rothbard argued that either there is little demand for it, or government regulations artificially restrict the supply, thereby inflating costs and limiting availability. Whatever the case, more government programs are not the solution.
There would need to be more certified individuals working in childcare. Mamdani criticized the NYPD for not being gay-friendly enough. How gay-friendly does he want the worker looking after toddlers to be?
Additionally, such programs discriminate against mothers who choose to stay home, burdening them with taxes funding daycare services they never use. Feminism claimed it would give women a choice, but policies like these punish the moms who look after their own children.
Studies also indicate that low-quality daycare can increase behavioral problems and lower IQ scores, whereas children cared for at home tend to perform better cognitively and emotionally. It is safe to assume that public daycares will be of low quality, because what government-funded program has ever been high quality? Imagine your children being looked after with the same care and discipline you see at the DMV.
Phyllis Schlafly testified in 1988 that government childcare policies must strengthen families, not sideline them. Subsidies or tax credits for mothers choosing home care would support families more effectively than public daycare centers. Mamdani’s approach dismisses family-centric solutions, instead expanding bureaucracy and governmental oversight.
Rather than improving lives, Mamdani’s childcare plan risks undermining the very family structure itself, ignoring economic realities, and burdening taxpayers, all under the illusion of government efficiency. Real solutions require empowering families and encouraging private-sector options to provide quality care. We must respect individual choice and economic principles.
Make sure you tell your friends voting in New York City this fall that they should vote for real solutions and real economics… not the false promises of socialism.
Socialism devalues hard work and creativity. It’s the opposite of the American dream. As proven around the world, socialism breaks the human spirit. At PhyllisSchlafly.com, we’re standing against the rise of socialism by all its names. For more, go to PhyllisSchlafly.com. Thanks for listening and join us next time for The Phyllis Schlafly Report.
This post originally appeared at https://phyllisschlafly.com/family/childcare-and-economic-illusions/