In this webinar, independent labour economist Lerato Shai explores how gender-blindness shapes South Africa’s childcare system and why it matters for families and the economy. South Africa’s childcare policy often centres on children’s outcomes, frequently overlooking women’s realities: unpaid care work, limited access to decent employment, and insecure, underpaid roles in the care sector. Behind every creche, daycare, and preschool is a largely invisible workforce of women whose labour sustains the system, yet remains undervalued and unsupported. These challenges are embedded in how childcare is funded, regulated, and delivered.