Childcare costs forcing women out of work

Three-quarters of mothers who pay for childcare say it no longer makes financial sense for them to work, according to a new national report from women’s rights group Pregnant Then Screwed.

The survey of 24,000 parents found that 76% of mothers who pay for care find it unaffordable to stay at work, while 11% said childcare uses up all or more of their daily pay, and 22% claimed it takes more than half their household income. Almost a third (32%) rely on debt to cover childcare costs and 45% have to choose between childcare and household essentials.

The findings are reinforced by TUC analysis that shows women are seven times more likely to be out of work due to caring responsibilities. Women in their 30s are hardest hit, with one in 10 out of work because of looking after their family, compared to one in 100 men in their 30s.

In response, Pregnant Then Screwed has launched a new campaign called A Cry for Help, while the TUC has called for funded, free, high quality childcare for all.

Pregnant Then Screwed founder Joeli Brearley said: “We don’t just have a cost of living crisis in the UK, we have a cost of working crisis, with one in 10 mothers now paying to go to work.”