Choosing childcare
Anyone who's ever had to peel off an unhappy, clinging child so they can get to work, knows there's more of a cost to childcare than just the money you have to part with. For working mums, finding the type of care that suits your child is crucial, if you're to combine parenting and a career. The number of women trying to do just that is increasing steadily. A recent study – Trends in Female Employment – showed that 65 per cent of women with dependent children are in work. However, only 54.4 per cent of those with children under 5 are working, compared to 75 per cent of those with children between 11 and 15.
Julie, who works as a travel agent, took a longer than intended career break because the childcare available didn't work out for her. ‘When I first went back to work, Tom was nine months old and seemed content in the local day nursery but, after about six months, he became really unsettled. He would cling on to me and sob. Going to work after that was dreadful. I felt I could still hear him crying, and it made it hard for me to be as cheerful and positive as customers expected. He was unhappy and it was costing just under half my salary to keep him there, so I decided to pack it in. We had to do without some of the things my wages paid for, but I never missed them.’ Looking back she has no regrets, but getting her career back on track has taken some time. ‘Finding an employer, who is willing to let me work family-friendly hours, has been impossible. Fortunately, Tom's school runs an After School Club, so that's sorted out my term time problems. But I don't know what we'll do in the long summer holiday.’
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