Melissa NICHOLSON

MELISSA NICHOLSON:  When you’re earning $90,000 a year and childcare costs $30,000 for two kids, plus commuting and everything else, you’re bringing home maybe, maybe $45,000. But if you’re job sharing and working three days a week, that cuts your childcare costs by 40%. You still have access to full-time benefits. You’re still on the track for promotions and advancement.

Introduction

INTRO: Welcome to Job Share Revolution. The show about job sharing—a partnership between two people to bring two minds and skill sets to one full-time position. I’m Melissa Nicholson, former job sharer turned founder of the first U.S. job share company. But it wasn’t long ago that I felt like an utter failure at work and as a new parent. Job sharing was my game-changer. I reclaimed four days a week to fully engage in my life while my capable partner handled everything. Together, we achieved more than I ever could solo. Fast forward to many lessons learned to bring you the training and support I wish I’d had to change lives and the modern-day workplace. Let’s live life and slay work.

Melissa NICHOLSON INTRO

MELISSA NICHOLSON: Hey friend, it’s Mel. I’m so glad you’re here, and I know that life is busy, so I thank you for spending your time with me on the Jobshare Revolution podcast where we dive into workplace topics we hear are top of mind for you from equity to wellness to flexibilit, and of course, job sharing. Welcome back to our special series on the seven biggest challenges driving the great working mom exodus of 2025.

This is an episode that I know resonates with so many folks in my audience. You’re worried about rising costs. You’re worried about childcare costs becoming unaffordable. And I get it. I really, really do.

Before we dive in, I want to encourage you to share this episode with a friend who might have the same concerns, who will find some insights and maybe even see a way job sharing can help cut the costs—even if they thought it was impossible for them to do so.

In our previous episodes, we tackled return-to-office mandates and cultural shifts around gender roles. Today, we’re diving into something that keeps parents up at night: the childcare crisis and affordability.

This isn’t just about inconvenience. This is about heartbreaking choices families are being forced to make. So let’s talk about what’s really happening and what we can do about it.

The Childcare Crisis Landscape

Here’s where we are as of September 2025: Childcare costs are skyrocketing, federal aid has lapsed, and labor shortages persist. All of this is significantly impacting working mothers’ decisions about staying in or leaving the workforce.

Let me give you some numbers that really paint the picture.

The average full-time daycare now exceeds $15,000 annually per child. Fifteen thousand dollars. For some families with two or more children, these costs surpass the average rent or mortgage in most states.

A U.S. Department of Labor analysis found that families in 2022 spent between 8.9% and 16% of their income on full-day childcare for a single child. That’s an average of between $6,552 and $15,600 annually. And even part-day childcare costs between 8.1% to 9.4% of annual median household income—that’s between $5,943 and $9,211 a year.

And those numbers? They’ve only gone up since then.

Research shows a clear link between higher childcare costs and reduced labor force participation among mothers, particularly for lower-income mothers who are more sensitive to these increases. Many mothers are making the difficult choice to reduce working hours or leave the workforce entirely because their earnings do not justify the high cost of care.

The Federal Funding Cliff

Now let me tell you about the funding cliff—because that’s exactly what it was.

The $24 billion federal childcare subsidy program implemented during the pandemic expired in September 2024. Just… ended. And the consequences were immediate.

This loss of funding forced many childcare centers to close or increase tuition fees dramatically, leaving families with fewer and more expensive options.

Low-income families who rely on programs like Head Start or the Child Care Development Fund for free or subsidized care were hit hardest. The potential elimination of Head Start would force qualifying families to find almost $12,000 more per year for childcare. Twelve thousand dollars that many families simply do not have.

And here’s what makes this even more complex: About 20% of childcare providers are immigrants. With mass deportations occurring throughout the country, we’re seeing labor shortages get even worse, my friend. Even workers with legal status may be afraid to come to work, and others may have lost their own childcare and have to stay home as a result.

These labor shortages contribute to long waitlists for childcare spots—some averaging six months. Six months. Try planning a return to work around that timeline.

Businesses are facing challenges too. Childcare disruptions are costing employers billions annually in absences and turnover.

Broader Economic Pressures

And it’s not just childcare costs in isolation. High inflation, rising food costs, and potential tariffs are making it harder, much harder for families to cover basic necessities like rent and groceries.

According to polls from September 2025, women—who often manage household finances and childcare responsibilities—are disproportionately affected by these rising costs.

High costs for food, housing, and childcare create a severe financial squeeze, prompting many mothers to conclude that continuing to work is not economically viable. And we’re seeing this reflected in the dropping labor force participation rates for mothers of young children in the first half of 2025. Three percent left the workforce.

The Heartbreaking Choices

Let me tell you about some of the heartbreaking choices I’ve seen women make.

I know several women—entrepreneurs who built businesses from the ground up—who’ve needed to return to corporate jobs just  to afford childcare while maintaining their businesses as side hustles. Imagine that. You’ve built something amazing, something you’re passionate about, and you have to put it on the back burner just to afford care for your children.

Other women are cobbling together care arrangements that would make your head spin. Grandparents two days a week, a neighbor one day, different daycare for the other days. It is just exhausting just to manage those logistics, let alone actually do your job well.

And then there are women who are leaving the workforce entirely because the math just doesn’t math. It doesn’t work. When you’re earning $90,000 a year and childcare costs $30,000 for two kids, plus commuting, work wardrobe, and everything else, you’re bringing home maybe, maybe $45,000 after taxes and expenses. You’re working full-time, exhausted, missing your kids, for what amounts to part-time pay.

But here’s what breaks my heart most: These women often have years of experience, skills, and education. They’re not lacking ambition or capability. They’re being forced out by a system that refuses to support working families.

What Employers Can Do

So what can employers do to meet this moment? Here are three critical actions:

First, provide tangible childcare support. Don’t just acknowledge the problem—solve it. Offer on-site childcare facilities, partnerships with local providers and subsidies, or subsidized backup care. Research from SHRM shows that employers offering on-site care have retention rates 7.4 times higher than those who do not. Seven point four times. That’s not a small number.

Second, offer enhanced paid parental, medical, and sick leave. The KPMG survey identified this as the most critical resource employers can offer to support working parents. When children get sick—and they will—parents need to be able to care for them without choosing between their child and their paycheck.

Third, champion flexible work arrangements—including job sharing. Flexibility isn’t a perk anymore. It’s a necessity. And job sharing offers a structured way to provide that flexibility while maintaining continuous coverage and high performance.

What Working Mothers Can Do

And for you, working moms navigating this crisis, here are three things you can do:

First, get creative with care arrangements. I’m not saying it’s fair that you have to, but consider nanny shares, co-op childcare with other families, or negotiating with your employer for subsidies. Every dollar saved matters.

Second, negotiate strategically for flexibility. If you can work from home even part of the time, that’s fewer childcare hours you need to pay for. If you can adjust your schedule to overlap with a partner or family member, even better. Put concrete numbers on the table when you negotiate—show your employer how flexibility saves them money in retention costs.

Third, explore job sharing. I’m going to talk more about this in a minute, but seriously—if you haven’t considered job sharing, now is the time. The financial savings alone can be transformative.

How Job Sharing Makes Childcare Affordable

Let’s talk about how job sharing specifically addresses the childcare crisis. Because this is where I get really excited.

Job sharers typically pay less in childcare, only needing part-time childcare each week, cutting costs while also being able to ramp up their careers by bringing two minds to one full-time position.

Let me break this down with real numbers.

If you’re working five days a week and need full-time childcare, you’re looking at that $15,000+ per year, per child. But if you’re job sharing and working three days a week? You only need childcare for three days. That cuts your childcare costs by 40%. Forty percent.

For a family with two kids, that could mean saving $12,000 a year or more. Twelve thousand dollars that stays in your pocket. That’s mortgage payments. That’s groceries. That’s breathing room.

But here’s what makes job sharing even more powerful than just working part-time at a reduced salary: You’re still in a full-time position. You still have access to full-time benefits—healthcare, retirement contributions, paid time off. You’re still on the track for promotions and advancement.

You’re not downshifting your career. You’re strategically structuring it to meet your family’s needs right now.

And here’s something else that’s incredibly valuable: Job share partners step in for one another when unexpected childcare emergencies happen.

Your kid wakes up with a fever at 6 a.m. Normally, that’s a panic moment. Who can watch them? Do I have sick time left? Will my boss be annoyed? But when you job share, you have a built-in backup. Your partner can cover, ensuring continuous coverage at work while you handle what you need to handle at home.

That peace of mind is priceless.

The support of a job share partner, especially if they’re also a parent, can go a long way in helping working moms feel seen, heard, and taken care of. Whether your employer is sympathetic or not to these personal childcare needs—and I have had employers who definitely were not—your partner surely will be. They get it. They’re living it too, or they understand because you’re building that relationship on that one handover day each week.

And speaking of that handover day—remember, most job share partners see each other primarily during that one overlapping day each week. You’re jamming through client meetings together, tackling big projects with that incredible two-person synergy. You’re dividing and conquering to get twice as much done. That day showcases your value as a team, making it clear to your employer that this arrangement isn’t just working—it’s excelling.

Real Talk About the Math

Let me give you a real example of how this math works out.

Say you’re currently making $80,000 a year working full-time, and you’re paying $18,000 a year for childcare for one child. Your take-home after taxes and childcare? Let’s say around $44,000.

Now, you negotiate a job share where you work 60% time (three days a week) for 60% salary—that’s $48,000. You pay for childcare only three days a week—let’s say $11,000 for the year.

Your take-home after taxes and childcare? It might be around $30,000. Yes, that’s less than the full-time scenario. But here’s what you’re getting for that difference: Four days off every single week. Four days to be present with your child, to avoid burnout, and to have a life outside of work. Time for you.

And here’s the thing nobody tells you: When you’re not burnt out, when you’re not completely drowning, when you actually have time to rest and recharge? You perform better in your job. You’re more creative, more focused, more strategic. You become more valuable, not less.

That often leads to faster advancement than if you’d stayed in the full-time grind, slowly burning out.

And here’s something else that’s incredibly powerful: You’re leveraging two skill sets, two lived experiences, and two diverse backgrounds in one role. This leads to more effective work and better solution-driven results. It’s why over 70% of job share teams who apply are promoted together. Imagine that.

So let’s run those numbers again with a promotion. Say you both get a 20% raise after a year. Your 60% salary goes from $48,000 to $57,600. Your childcare costs stay the same at $11,000. Now your take-home is closer to $38,000—and you still have those four days off every week. You’re advancing faster together than you likely would have alone, and you’re doing it without burning out.

Plus, you’re saving on all those hidden costs that come with full-time work—commuting costs, work wardrobe, convenience meals because you have no time to cook, weekend childcare so you can catch up on all the things you couldn’t do during the week.

The financial picture is more nuanced than it first appears.

Personal Connection

I think about my own experience with job sharing. I started when my daughter was six months old. We needed childcare for my three work days—that was it. My husband and I could split the other four days of my week off, meaning we weren’t paying for full-time care.

Now here’s the kicker. Actually, I ended up having childcare for four days a week. I was pretty dedicated to spending those four days off a week with my infant. But here’s the thing, my phenomenal and very wise childcare provider, Amber, who happened to be a childhood friend, ironically, I had no idea when I was out there trying desperately to find a day care when I was pregnant. But, she came to me and said, “Melissa, you are going to need four days of childcare a week. You can bring Iris in, or you can keep her at home. It’s up to you, but trust me, you’re going to need that time just for you.”

I talked to Mike. I talked to my husband, and I was like, “I think it’s worth it. I mean, she’s really convinced me here.” And it was the best decision I ever made concerning my daycare. It was well worth spending that extra for that extra day to have real “me” time.

I took dancing classes. I took acting classes. I used that time to do all the household chore management leftovers like the laundry and stuff like that so that on those other three days I could be completely present and intentional for my kiddos. We could go to the park. We could go to the zoo. I was never checking work email because I had my amazing job share partner. So, it really was like I led this double life. Brilliant.

And I still was saving so much money, cutting my costs down by forty percent at the daycare.

Those savings allowed us to put money toward our kids’ education funds, their 529s, which I’m now using as my daughter is in her first year of college. So we could have the financial cushion, to not be living paycheck to paycheck in constant stress.

But beyond the money, having those four days meant I wasn’t missing everything. I was there for the milestones. I was there to be present with them. And all those pediatrician appointments and doctor appointments that you can schedule? My husband took those on my working days.

So that was an unpaid labor parent moment that I was able to give up control on and let him take over so that I could be there and be present with them on my off days. I was there.

And when my kids got sick? I had flexibility built into my schedule. I wasn’t scrambling, I wasn’t stressed, I wasn’t worried about burning through sick days—I never even used all of my sick days—or disappointing my team.

There was nobody to disappoint. No client, no boss, no stakeholder ever missed a beat.

That’s what job sharing gave me—and it can give you too.

 Closing

So let me wrap this up. The childcare crisis is real, and it’s forcing impossible choices for families across this country. But you are not without options.

If you’re an employer, step up. Provide real support—not just lip service. Childcare benefits, flexibility, job sharing opportunities. These aren’t nice-to-haves. They’re essential for retaining your talent. Your working parents, of whom 70% of the workforce is made up.

If you’re a working mother, know that you deserve better than what this system is offering. And while we fight for systemic change, job sharing might be the practical solution that makes your life work right now.

The savings, the flexibility, the support of that incredible job share partner—your right hand—it can transform an impossible situation into something actually sustainable so you can have a fulfilling career and a fulfilling life.

Next episode, we’re tackling the mental load and burnout. And trust me, after talking about childcare costs, you’re probably feeling that mental load pretty heavily right now. We’re going to talk about solutions that actually work.

If this episode helped you see a path forward, please share it with a friend who’s struggling with childcare decisions. You might just open up a possibility they hadn’t considered.

They’ve probably never even heard of job sharing. It’s like this incredible work-life secret that nobody passes off. So pass it off to your friend, they will thank you.

 I just want to leave by saying that I am sending you so much love this week. I’ll see you Tuesday after next, same time, same place. Take care of you this week. Remember, friend—it’s all in you. Bye for now!