The nationwide March Of The Mummies protest came to Manchester this weekend calling for childcare reforms.
The protest, which was organised by Pregnant Then Screwed, was held across 11 UK cities on Saturday aiming for good quality affordable childcare for all, flexible working as a default and properly paid maternity leave.
This is due to their outrage over the UK having the second most expensive childcare systems in the world and the third worst ranking maternity pay in Europe, according to PTS.
One protester named Ellie said: ”The current state of the childcare system is an absolute joke in England, as is maternity pay and parental leave.”
“The government do not seem to get that at all, I think they need a radical rethink, they bang on about growth and we all know that’s their thing but they actually need to think about how women are prevented from going back to work,” she added.
Ellie is currently on maternity leave with her four month old child, who has been on a nursery waiting list since he was two weeks old, being told by one nursery that they had no space until 2024.
She said: ”I’m freaking out about trying to find childcare and it’s freaking everyone I’ve spoke to out… I’m here because I’m angry!”
“I’d much prefer the whole government to be scrapped out and we start again, 12 years of austerity has lead us to this crisis, the Tory government have discriminated the public sectors that have had a direct consequence for women,” she added.
Another protestor, Ariane, said: “I think it’s incredible the price, I’m French and in France the government are supporting them much more, the cost of nursery is a third of what we’re paying in the UK!”
“As a mother, I have two children and I think i calculated at the end i will have paid £50,000 in nursery costs, I think it’s outrageous,” she added.
Sister protests occurred in London, Belfast, Cardiff and more with guest speakers such as the politician Sophie Walker and Pregnant Then Screwed CEO Joeli Brearley.
Brearley said: ”Thousands of parents took to the streets today to demand their voices be heard by this Government. Parents of young children don’t protest unless they are really furious.
“They have had enough, They feel they are being set up to fail.’’
Over 15,000 mothers and families joined the nationwide protest, with some dressed in fancy dress to show how scary the crisis is.
