Someone must watch the infant every hour, but someone must also earn. The central economic friction of infancy: care and income compete for the same hours.
This is a need. Something a person cannot ignore. Non-negotiable, usually urgent, and the most reliable foundation for a business. It is felt by the parent, continuously, and rates 5 out of 5 for the pressure it exerts.
It comes from Scarce time, Scarce resources and Safety meeting the demands of Infancy. The constants never change; the phase decides which of them presses hardest.
The market has answered it in 3 ways: Parental leave, Daycare and childcare centres and Nannies and au pairs
Those answers were not free. Between them they created 2 further frictions, which is where the next layer of industries comes from.
Its neighbourhood
Everything this entry connects to directly. Click any point to follow it.
Relieved by
Every one of these is a business, an institution or a habit built on this single pressure.