Maternal employment and the cost of childcare in Ireland

New research published by the Economic and Social Research Institute and Pobal, has found that mothers who face high childcare costs work fewer hours. Parents spent an average of 12 per cent of their disposable income on childcare for their three-year-old. This posed a significant barrier to employment for women, especially lone parents. For those who pay, the average hourly cost of care for one child was €4.50 at the time of the Growing up in Ireland survey in 2011, or €4.84 in 2017 prices.

The report found that, all else being equal, mothers with higher childcare costs at age three tended to work fewer hours when their child was aged five. “Our findings show that, for example, 10 per cent higher childcare costs were associated with 30 minutes less paid work by mothers per week,” commented Helen Russell, co-author of the report. The study used Growing Up in Ireland data to track employment of mothers across the first five years of the child’s life. As this estimate is based on one child, it is likely to represent the minimum impact on working hours.

The study finds that working arrangements for mothers with young children are dynamic and more complex than the choice between working full-time and staying at home. Between the ages of three and five years almost half of mothers (45%) changed their employment hours, including 9 per cent who left employment, and 7 per cent who entered employment.

Click HERE to read the full report