Childcare in America: The High Price Women Pay for Doing It All

How Boston’s struggles highlight a national crisis of inequality and sacrifice

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Childcare in America is broken. Across the country, families face skyrocketing costs, limited access, and inadequate quality in childcare services. The system is a classic case of failure: the demand for affordable, high-quality care far outstrips the supply, yet the industry remains underfunded and undervalued.

This national problem is felt most by women, who disproportionately bear the burden of unpaid caregiving when professional childcare options fall short. For many, the cost of childcare isn’t just financial — it’s emotional and professional. Women’s ambitions are sidelined, and their choices limited, creating a cycle of inequity that ripples through generations.

Why Boston?

Moving to a remote area in the Northeast for college brought the childcare crisis into sharper focus for me. My school is situated in a small, rural community, where resources are limited, and the struggles of working women became evident in conversations I had with people employed on campus. Many women, particularly those in lower-income roles, shared how the lack of affordable childcare was a constant barrier, forcing them to make impossible…