Final answer:
Subsidized daycares in the US began with the Community Facilities Act of 1942, and were instrumental in allowing women, particularly working mothers, to join and remain in the workforce by offsetting childcare responsibilities.
Step-by-step explanation:
The establishment of subsidized daycares in the United States can be traced back to the Community Facilities Act of 1942. During World War II, Eleanor Roosevelt played a crucial role in advocating for government childcare facilities to support the increasing number of women entering the workforce. These initial efforts resulted in the creation of seven centers, which serviced 105,000 children.
This changed the lives of many women, allowing mothers to work while their children were cared for, though the demand for childcare exceeded the provision. Furthermore, the societal perception of women as primarily responsible for childcare presented additional challenges, with economic participation hampered by the cost of childcare, acting as a de facto tax on women’s labor.
The introduction of subsidized daycare facilitated women's entry into the workforce, while the struggle for women’s rights continued parallelly, as exemplified by the Sheppard-Towner Act and the proposed Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). Childcare subsidies and preschool programs have become global initiatives to support women’s work opportunities and address domestic labor loss.