Cities present important challenges for the extension of quality childcare services to informal workers, who make up most of the urban poor across the global South. For women, who are disproportionately responsible for childcare in their own households, access to quality childcare services allows for more time to earn an income and seek new employment. This is particularly important as women informal workers struggle to recover their earnings following the economic recession brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. For children, quality childcare services can contribute to lifelong health, educational and social development benefits. This article explores the key barriers to childcare provision for women informal workers and their children in cities, and assesses the role municipalities can play in the provision of childcare services. Access to quality childcare services in urban areas can help break the cycle of gendered and intergenerational poverty as cities recover from the pandemic.

在将优质的儿童保育服务扩展到非正式工人方面，城市构成了重大挑战，而非正式工人是全球南部大多数城市贫困人口的一部分。对于妇女而言，她们对自己家庭中的儿童保育负有过多责任，获得优质的儿童保育服务可让他们有更多的时间来赚钱并寻求新的工作。这一点尤其重要，因为在COVID-19大流行带来的经济衰退之后，女性非正式工人正努力恢复其收入。对于儿童而言，优质的托儿服务可以为终身健康，教育和社会发展带来好处。本文探讨了在城市为非正式女工及其子女提供儿童保育的主要障碍，并评估了市政当局在提供儿童保育服务中可以发挥的作用。