According to a survey released last week by the campaign group Pregnant Then Screwed, 11% of parents say that childcare costs are the same or more than their take home pay.

Additionally, the report - which surveyed more than 24,000 parents -  found that amongst those who use professional childcare services such as nurseries and childminders, 22% said the costs are more than half of their household income.

This makes the UK’s childcare costs amongst the top three most expensive in the world, according to data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) - mainly because the government invests relatively little in childcare compared to other developed countries.

The high cost of childcare means that 32% of parents disclosed that they have had to rely on some form of debt to cover the costs and 45% state that they have had to choose between paying for childcare or household essentials. For a huge 76% of mothers who use professional childcare services, it is no longer financially viable for them to continue working.

Joeli Brearley, founder and CEO of Pregnant Then Screwed, said:

“Parents are at the end of their tether. Many have now left the labour market, or work fewer hours, because our childcare system has been abandoned by this government.”

Although childcare costs affect both parents, it is usually mothers whose earnings stop rising so quickly or even fall. Around 1.7m women in the UK cannot work as many hours as they want due to childcare issues and frequently have periods of part-time employment which stops them from advancing their careers and earnings. 

Becca Lyon, Head of Child Poverty at Save the Children UK said:

“The evidence of our broken childcare system is there in plain sight – it is not working for parents, children, or providers. These statistics confirm what we are hearing from the parents we support – many of them would love to get back to work or increase their hours, but they simply can’t afford to.

We need a childcare guarantee – universally accessible, affordable childcare from the end of parental leave to the end of primary school. This would allow all children to benefit from quality childcare and early education and help parents get into work.”