QBE Chairman Belinda Hutchinson has called for childcare to be tax deductible as a way of encouraging more women to participate in the workforce and improve the country’s productivity growth.

Ms Hutchinson is a member of Chief Executive Women (CEW), which represents the country’s female business leaders. It says the high cost of childcare is keeping women out of the workforce and preventing them moving into more senior roles.

CEW is calling for a doubling of the childcare rebate to $15,000 and tax deductibility to apply to nannies as well as government-approved childcare centres.

It argues that the centres’ hours are often not flexible enough for women moving into middle and senior roles.

Ms Hutchinson says the costs of childcare for women with two or more children often discourage women from returning to work.