Raising a child should be the happiest fulfilment of any parents’ lives, but with rising childcare costs, decreasing salaries and rising unemployment, looking after your children is becoming something of a nightmare.
Parenting on Female First
On average, parents are spending 27% of their salary on childcare costs, a figure which is significantly higher than other European countries.
Despite a free 15-hour entitlement to childcare for 2-4 year olds, childcare is still causing a significant dent in parents’ salaries.
For some it’s a serious question whether to give up work to avoid expensive childcare costs. The recent BBC One documentary We All Pay Your Benefits demonstrated that for some this is a viable option.
One of the benefit claimers had never worked a day in his life, instead deciding to stay at home and look after his children. Unfortunately with benefits currently being at a similar level to a low-end salary, this is becoming more and more common.
Is it fair for parents to be put in this compromising situation? Even if a parent decides to give up work just temporarily, with the job market the way it currently is, getting back into a job is incredibly tough.
Surely any parent should have the right to continue with their career, but childcare costs are making this all but impossible.
If a parent does continue working, the resulting effect is many working longer and longer hours just to cover all their bills, which in turn leads to spending less and less time with their children.
Another couple on We All Pay Your Benefits barely saw each other just to keep up with their bills, as one worked all day and the other worked all night.
It’s almost as if we are being discouraged from having children unless we can afford the childcare costs. Having children is expensive, that much is well known.
But surely childcare costs for young children need to be changed. With an ageing population, restricting families to those who can afford childcare costs will only worsen the situation.
2013 is a worrying time for any parent. We’d love to hear about your experiences on the issue, so get in touch by commenting below or tweeting @FemaleFirst_UK
by Julia Molloy
Tagged in Parenting Advice