‘I’m a teacher and after paying the childcare, I’ve €50 left every month’

There’s a common calculation many women make and the formula goes like this: amount earned after tax minus childcare fee = decision on whether pursuing your career is worth it. It’s a cost-benefit analysis that often favours men’s careers since the estimated gender pay gap in Ireland is 14%. If the amount leftover from the wage after the staggering childcare bill has been paid is little, then it’s deemed not worth her while.  As the...