Imbalanced Domestic Responsibilities 7 https://www.swbg.org.uk/news/blog/is-investing-in-childcare-worth-it-a-summary/ 8 https://www.gov.uk/government/news/international-experts-highlight-the-importance-of-a-childs-early-years 9 https://www.swbg.org.uk/content/publications/Policy-Briefing---Childcare-Survey-2023.pdf 10 https://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/equal-pay-day- 2023#:~:text=Our%20data%20shows%20that%20women,UK's%20pernicious%20gender%20pay%20gap. 11 https://pregnantthenscrewed.com/shocking-new-stats-about-the-cost-of-parenting/ 12 https://www.closethegap.org.uk/content/resources/CtG-and-OPFS---A-childcare-system-for-all-FINAL.pdf 13 https://pregnantthenscrewed.com/4-in-5-mothers-in-scotland-say-childcare-costs-the-same-or-more-than- their-income/ 14 https://www.swbg.org.uk/content/publications/Policy-Briefing---Childcare-Survey-2023.pdf • Unequal Burden: Without affordable childcare, women often bear a disproportionate share of caregiving and household responsibilities, 1516 perpetuating gender inequality . 6.