My Low Wage Life - Childcare Workers

My nanny, Rosa, was one of the most influential people in my life. She cared for me, treated me like I was her own, and ensured that all my needs were not only met, but also surpassed. In essence, she’s like a second mother to her and I will forever be grateful for the love she so graciously bestowed upon me during our many years together. However, I know that Rosa also faced many financial challenges due to her chosen career and that life was not always easy for her. Thus, I feel it is my obligation to explore the plight of childcare workers so that loving caregivers, like Rosa, will be given the respect and fair wages they are entitled to.

They perform many domestic necessities, allow families to function despite hectic work schedules, and you even trust them with the most valued members of the family, your children. Despite this, childcare workers, such as nannies and daycare workers, face substantial challenges due to their career. First and foremost, their wages are generally quite poor. Most only make a meager amount that is barely above the national minimum wage and experience and responsibility only increases annual salary marginally. Because the pay is so minimal, childcare workers must labor for long hours to be able to earn a decent wage and provide for themselves. Childcare workers work 40 hours a week, on average, and individual shifts can often last longer than originally planned due to the busy schedule of their employers. Furthermore, working long hours with children can be incredibly taxing and genuine patience, enthusiasm, and commitment are necessary for childcare workers to succeed in their career. Also, childcare is a very woman-oriented field with 98 percent being female. This exacerbates the low wage situation of childcare workers since women are usually paid 77% of what their male counterparts make. Ironically, it also makes it intimidating for men who are trying to enter the profession since childcare is not deemed societally masculine.

Additionally, childcare is also a very strenuous field and occupational stress among its workers is quite common. Occupational stress refers to the workers’ “physiological and psychological responses to situations perceived as potentially disruptive.” Many childcare workers eventually suffer from the ‘burn-out syndrome’, which is an extreme response to occupational stress. It is generally described as an experience of exhaustion caused by excessive demands placed upon the worker. The dehumanizing process of the childcare system can also cause this syndrome since the worker is seen as little more than a tool meant for the welfare of the children. This ‘burn-out syndrome’ is most commonly seen among workers whose work requires “intense interpersonal involvement.” The implications of this syndrome can be quite dire and usually amount in a high staff turnover, apathy in the workplace, and psychological issues. The policies of childcare agencies can also be a potential cause of the ‘burn-out syndrome.’ Many agencies exert an overweening degree of control in their employee’s life and allow them little freedom in respect to their job. It has been found that morale among childcare workers is related to their ability to influence the important facets of their work. When this ability is taken away, they are merely wage slaves at the behest of an employer or company. Lastly, many childcare workers lack the professional training necessary to assess their performance on a daily basis. Without such information, the worker possesses no clear evaluation of his job and does not know how to productively grow in his/her profession.