Women driven from the workforce by childcare costs
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) warned that the massive cost burden and lack of availability would cause more women to leave their jobs and said immediate action was needed to keep working mothers from throwing in the towel.
Around 45% of women in the workforce have children under the age of three.
ICTU assistant general secretary Sally Anne Kinahan said the childcare cost burden was resulting in one or the other partner giving up work or cutting back on working hours to reduce the bill.
“Most often it is the woman who will make that sacrifice,” she said.
Many working families could not even access childcare facilities in their locality. A recent survey found that two-thirds of crèches had waiting lists at the end of last year.
“This has huge implications for employment equality, the role of women and, indeed, continued economic growth,” said Ms Kinahan. She said a key factor in driving recent growth has been the increased number of women in the workforce.
Ms Kinahan cited statistics from the Economic and Social Research Institute that showed a 2.5% drop in women workers aged between 20 and 24 and a 1.6% drop in women workers aged 25 to 34. It was the first time such a drop had been seen in a decade.
“It is our belief that these worrying figures reveal that women are being forced to choose stay at home childcare over participation in the workforce,” she said.
