LSE's decision to close its Nursery in September, in the midst of a pandemic, will hit women and student parents the hardest. Without affordable and reliable childcare, LSE will not be a gender-equal working and studying environment.
The LSE’s very own Gender, Inequality and Power Commission’s report* 'Confronting Gender Inequality', stresses the importance of childcare to achieving gender equality.
This isn't the first time LSE has tried to close its nursery and save money**. Back in 2015, LSESU successfully launched its campaign, under the same name #SaveOurNursery, to stop the planned closure. Campaigners asked LSE to reinvest in, renovate and relocate the Nursery. This recent closure against the backdrop of 2 huge new building developments (The Marshall and Centre Buildings) shows Senior Management once again failing to prioritise childcare spaces. Furthermore, LSE continue to use the Nursery in HR documentation and student recruitment efforts, despite ceasing its operation.
Signing your name to this petition is vital for us to show Senior Management and the wider LSE community that demand and support for having a thriving, on-campus Nursery for a gender-equal working environment is very much present. Thank you for your support.
Our demands:
1. LSE must provide a new, on-campus Nursery for students and staff by Summer 2021
2. LSE must reinstate the Nursery discount of 50% for students
3. LSE must secure emergency childcare provision for the 20/21 academic year
4. LSE must invest into making its campus more child and parent friendly
This campaign is led by Laura Goddard, the Community and Welfare Officer at LSESU. If you have any questions or have been affected by the nursery closure (both past and present) please get in contact at
su.communitywelfare@lse.ac.uk*
https://www.lse.ac.uk/gender/assets/documents/research/gender-inequality-and-power-commission/Confronting-Gender-Inequality-blue.pdf** more information here:
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/aysha-alfekaiki/lse-save-our-nursery_b_8444730.html 