Inadequate care options cause mothers to work and earn less

Inadequate care options cause majority of working mothers to work and earn less - A new survey has found that 61% of working mothers in Australia have taken a pay cut or reduced their working hours because of ‘inadequate childcare options’. 

A new survey has found that 61 per cent of working mothers in Australia have taken a pay cut or reduced their working hours because of ‘inadequate childcare options’. 

This is in comparison with 47 per cent of men surveyed out of a total 1009 working Australian parents.  

The survey, which looked at the financial and mental health burdens of juggling work and care also found that:

• 70 per cent of respondents agree that mothers take a bigger role in childcare responsibilities within their families
• 92 per cent of women feel guilty and anxious about returning to work, compared with 77 per cent of men
• 55 per cent of men encouraged their partner to quit their jobs due to a lack of affordable childcare options during their working hours. This is compared to 39% of women.

CEO at The Parenthood, Georgie Dent said that the findings highlight why totally affordable, accessible quality early education and care is essential community, educational and economic infrastructure. 

“This data captures the catch-22 so many parents, mainly mothers, of young children experience; not being able to afford not to work, but not being able to access or afford the care they need in order to work,” said Ms Dent.

“Surviving on two incomes is a necessity in many households but the high cost of early childhood education and care can consume an entire paycheck.

“Many couples decide both parents can’t afford to work which is why so many mums either reduce their work or stop altogether. This holds back their career, limits their earning potential and economic security and impacts the sustainability of workplaces due to staff turnover. 

The national gender pay gap in Australia currently sits at 11.5 percent, and women, on average retire with 28 percent less superannuation.  

“The Federal Government has started to make progress in this area, having recently announced the inclusion of superannuation on paid parental leave from 2025, and of course the historic wage rise for early childhood educators.

“However, bolder reform is needed. A universal model for early learning services is the only way to grant every child access to the high quality early education they need to thrive, and to allow parents the freedom to raise a family while being able to financially provide for them. 

“First on the priority list for the government to achieve this is to remove the Activity Test, the system that calculates parents’ access to childcare subsidy based on their income and working hours,” said Ms Dent.