Exclusive: "We treat women like our social safety net," Reshma Saujani says

• "We treat women like our social safety net," she said.

Between the lines: "Parents are drowning," Saujani told Sara Goo, executive editor of Axios Live.

• "When you talk to them, whether you're in a rural community or in the city, they'll tell you that the number one cost that is killing [them] is the cost of childcare."
• "Parents are paying more for their childcare than their mortgage," Saujani said.
• According to Saujani the cost of keeping two kids in childcare is also more than the cost of rent in all 50 states.
• "Childcare is a critical economic issue."

Catch up quick: Saujani is a lawyer, politician, and author who founded Girls Who Code, Moms First and other startups focused on surrogacy and paid leave.

• The focus on family leave and childcare being the biggest issue women are facing was a big shift for Saujani who, as head of Girls Who Code, became the standard-bearer for the idea that the main issue facing women in tech was a skills gap, Axios' Ina Fried wrote in 2022.
• Saujani also introduced the "Marshall Plan for Moms," intended to help mothers who'd been impacted by the pandemic.

Context: There are now more women in the global workforce than before COVID, but Saujani said family leave policies haven't changed.

• "Instead of fixing work, we've made the school day go down from four days to five," she says

Saujani and her team are launching a campaign called "Get Childcare on the Record," to get candidates to commit to better policies for families.

• "If they're not talking about it now, they're not going to talk about it," Saujani told Goo.
• "Parents have a once in a lifetime opportunity to push on their elected officials to ensure that childcare and paid leave are the most important issues in this election," Saujani told Sara

Go deeper:

• Girls Who Code founder says coding isn't enough
• Reshma Saujani: Using AI to put moms first