Why Daddy Daycare will probably be very annoying

One of the likely flaws of Daddy Daycare, Channel 4's new series starting tonight, is that it will conflate too many issues and fail to address them sufficiently explicitly. Lumping them together, and simplifying things in order to maximise ratings, is likely to create a rather annoying viewing experience for anyone with even a passing interest in gender equality.

Here are some of the issues that underlie the 'dads are useless, mums know best' tone of this preview clip, for example:

• Our parental leave and other systems push women to do the lion's share of childcare and men to be breadwinners
• Mums (more likely to be working less-than-full-time) feel that dads (more likely to be working full-time) don't do enough at home
• Mums who work full-time (although 'full-time' in this context needs unpicking because full-time women's working hours and travelling distances tend to be shorter) feel that dads who work full-time don't do enough at home
• Some dads consider themselves ill-equipped, and/or lack the confidence, to look after children
• Some men revel in their 'inability' to look after children effectively (just as, for example, some women revel in their 'inability' to do maths, deal with technology etc)
• Some dads have relatively little access to their children and this can add to their sense of being marginal to parenting
• The childcare workforce is predominantly female
• The childcare workforce is generally underpaid and undervalued.

Can't wait to see the show...I hope to blog through the 3-part series, so follow this blog and also my Twitter account @homersmustdie.