If the Senate doesn't bail out the childcare industry, economists see women leaving the workforce en masse

• The House recently passed two bills that would provide a combined $100 billion in direct child care funding over the next 5 years, but it's unclear if either will pass the Republican-led Senate. 
• Without a bailout, experts say up to 40% of childcare centers will close for good. 
• Couples who can't afford to hire a full-time babysitter will have to answer a difficult question: Who sidelines their career to care for the kids? 
• Multiple economists say that in heterosexual couples, it will be women who leave the workforce, for two reasons: They make less money than men on average, and secondly, they are already more likely to be the one who cares more for the kids. 
• Those who choose to stay in the workforce will likely prioritize flexibility over career growth, further widening the gender wage gap. 
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Affordable and accessible childcare — the underpinning of a functioning US economy that allows parents to work — is hanging by a thread. 

On Wednesday, The House passed two bills, the Child Care is Essential Act and the Child Care for Economic Recovery Act. They would provide a combined $100 billion in direct child care funding over the next five years, including $50 billion in immediate pandemic relief. 

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