Lily Allen has reflected on the challenges faced by single mothers juggling their careers with the cost of childcare.
Speaking on his BBC podcast Miss me? The singer opened up about the challenges she faced raising her two daughters, before meeting her husband. Strange things actor David Harbor, in 2019.
Allen, who co-hosts the podcast with host and longtime friend Miquita Oliver, said she “couldn't work because the money I made from work wasn't enough to cover the childcare I needed.”
“I felt cheated like I was at a standstill, stuck where I was, which was basically at home, not being able to tour or do anything.”
Allen said she hopes childcare costs will be reduced so “women can get back to work and climb the ladder of power.”
Oliver, who does not have children, said she often “worries” how she would cope with the financial pressure of childcare if she had a child.
“It is shocking in this country, I think it is the most expensive daycare in Europe,” he added.
In the UK, one in four parents say the cost of childcare now accounts for more than 75 per cent of their take-home pay, according to a survey of 24,000 parents by the charity Pregnant then Screwed. Meanwhile, one in 10 breaks even or ends up with a loss.
According to the National Childbirth Trust (NCT), the average cost of sending a child under two to childcare is £263 per week for full-time care (50 hours) and £138 per week for part-time care. (25 hours). hours).
The “Smile” singer admitted that she now relies on babysitters to help her while she has a strict performance schedule, like last year when she played the lead character in The pillow man by in witches and The Banshees of Inisherin director Martin McDonagh, in London's West End.
Allen has two daughters with her ex-husband Sam Cooper: Ethel Mary, born in 2011, and Marnie Rose, born in 2013.
“If I'm on tour or if I'm doing a play, I'll basically need 24-hour coverage because I'll be working late at night and I won't start work until mid-afternoon,” Allen said, while revealing that he had two different nannies, each one doing 12-hour shifts, to cover her while she was on tour.
Oliver asked, “How the hell is that financially?” to which Allen responded: “Pretty much! It's a nightmare.”
In March, Allen shared her candid feelings about balancing motherhood with her career, admitting, “My kids ruined my career.”
“I love them and they complete me, but in terms of pop stardom, they completely ruined it,” he told radio times podcast.
Allen continued his point by sharing his frustration with the idea that it is possible to excel at both a career and parenting in equal measure: “It really bothers me when people say you can have it all because, frankly, you can't. “
