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Originally Posted by cura
I just told my mom that in the U.K. lone parents got a benefit so they shouldn't have to work. She asked me if I was serious, when I said "yeah" she said they're insane.
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I'm not sure where your mother comes from, but it's probable there is some kind of subsidy paid somewhere along the lines. Britain is just comfortable with (certain groups) receiving benefits directly which enables them to have a choice in how they run their lives (where this is feasible). For all my dislike of the British state, this is hardly a terrible premise.
Children being born costs money. People are removed from the labour force. Children require care. The argument is simply where and how these things are paid for and by who, and how it can all operate to ensure no-one starves or neglects their kids.
You could make childcare cheaper than it currently is which would mean it would be a lot easier to get back into work, and indirectly subsidise employers in the process. But it would still cost money.
In Britain there is a (sort of) deregulated market which does provide childcare for quite a lot of children - this is usually termed "childminders". In the vast majority of cases however, childminders are receiving some kind of benefits themselves and it seems this sort of low-levelfraud is semi-tolerated by the benefits agencies. Even childminders are still regulated though, especially through council lists and the like.
It's difficult to have deregulated enterprises looking after societies most vulnerable members unsupervised and as such we have regulation and subsidy instead. Besides, most industrialised societies are trying to get more people to have kids now