Band 9 essay sample | The government should pay one of the parents to stay at home

IELTS essay topic

Some people think that the government should pay one of the parents of very young children to stay at home to look after their children. What do you think would be the advantages and disadvantages of this policy?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Band 9 essay sample

In many families now both partners work. While this has improved their financial situation, it has made child rearing difficult. Many couples are therefore delaying parenthood. Some are forced to send their children to daycare centres where they may or may not receive proper care and attention. Therefore, some people feel that the government should give financial assistance to one of the parents so that they can stay at home and take care of their child. In my opinion, this policy has its pros and cons.

Of course, the biggest beneficiaries of this policy will be parents of young children. It will also encourage more couples to have children. Actually, this policy may be worth implementing in countries where the birthrate is dangerously low. When the government pays one of the parents to stay at home, they get to spend more time with their child. Several studies have shown that young children who spend more time with their parents have improved social and cognitive skills.

On the flip side, the government has to allocate a lot of money in its budget for paying parents. It is true that children are the assets of a nation; however, child rearing cannot be considered as a productive activity. It does not do anything to improve the GDP of a nation. So, when the government pays millions of fathers and mothers for just staying at home and taking care of their children, it will push the nation into financial difficulty. Looking from that perspective, it is not hard to see that this policy will only increase the tax burden of citizens. Also, it cannot be implemented in countries where the birthrate is already high. In my opinion, spending that money on sectors like education or healthcare will be more beneficial to the nation and its people.

After analysing the situation, it is not hard to see that giving parents financial assistance for taking care of their young ones has more disadvantages than advantages. Nations with very low population could perhaps experiment with this policy but others should find alternative ways to help parents of young children.