The purpose of petition 1298 is to encourage one of the parents to take care of the child(ren) at home. Shutterstock

The purpose of petition 1298 is to encourage one of the parents to take care of the child(ren) at home. Shutterstock

At the time of writing, the petition had acquired nearly 25% of the number of signatures required for it to be debated in parliament.

According to the text, the aim would be to encourage one of the child(ren)’s parents to take care of the children at home.

Each stay-at-home parent, the petitioner argues, “performs a task equivalent to that of a nursery assistant and is therefore entitled to equivalent remuneration,” adding that the such homemakers “are neglected by law”, although these individuals should be valued in the same way as paid childminders.

The petitioner adds that this allowance could potentially take the form of vouchers. 

A petition requires 4,500 signatures in order for it to be debated in parliament. Closure for signatures for petition 1298 is 19 July.