Half of working mothers lacking childcare during Covid-19 crisis – survey

Half of working mothers are lacking the necessary childcare to enable them to work during the coronavirus crisis, according to a survey.

More than two thirds (72%) of mothers have had to work fewer hours because of childcare issues, while 65% of those furloughed said a shortfall in childcare was the reason, according to a survey of almost 20,000 women.

Research showing the impact of childcare closures on women found that while 81% of employed mothers need childcare to be able to work, some 51% do not have the necessary provisions in place to allow them to do so.

Campaign group Pregnant Then Screwed questioned 19,950 mothers and pregnant women amid an easing of the work-from-home guidance.

Announcing an end to the Government’s “stay at home” messaging, Boris Johnson last week said it will be up to employers to discuss with workers whether it is safe to return from August 1.

But Joeli Brearley, founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, said this “completely ignores the realities facing women”.

“This lack of childcare is destroying women’s careers, they are being made redundant, they are being forced to cut their hours, and they are being treated negatively all because they are picking up the unpaid labour,” she said.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer warned that parents were being put in an “impossible position” over a return to offices due to a lack of childcare support.

Conducted online between July 16-18, the survey found 15% of mothers have been made redundant, or think they could be in the next six months, while almost half (46%) of those said that a lack of childcare played a role.

Some 11.2% of pregnant women have been made redundant or expect to be during the crisis, with just over half (53.2%) believing that their pregnancy was a factor – rising to 66.7% among black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) women.

The poll also found that, in the past four months, 67% of key workers questioned had been forced to cut hours because of lack of access to childcare, according to the Guardian newspaper.

Responses shared with the newspaper also show that among 1,756 pregnant key workers questioned, some 30.5% had been suspended on incorrect terms, such as being told to take sick leave or begin maternity leave early.

Meanwhile, some 74% of self-employed mothers said lack of access to childcare, due to schools and facilities closing, had reduced their self-employed earning potential.

“We need to see provisions in place to support mothers who are struggling with childcare through no fault of their own,” Ms Brearley said.

“We need the Government to open its eyes to the gender imbalance that Covid-19 is exacerbating and we need to help pregnant women and mums to be treated on merit, not on how many kids they have. The time to change this is now.”

It comes as NHS England said it will contribute towards the cost of childcare, in a move to encourage hundreds of doctors with family responsibilities to return to general practice.

Qualified GPs hoping to return to the NHS will be able to claim up to £2,000 per child or dependant family member to help meet caring costs while on a training placement.