One in four UK parents has been forced to leave their job or stop studying because of the ‘rocketing cost of childcare’, according to a worldwide survey by global children’s charity Theirworld.
Findings from a poll of 7,000 pre-school parents in seven different countries highlight the dire situation for parents in the UK, whose struggle to afford nursery and childminder fees is worse than their counterparts abroad.
Three-quarters of UK parents (74 per cent) said they find it difficult to meet childcare costs, compared to 52 per cent in India, 57 per cent in the Netherlands, 59 per cent in Nigeria, 68 per cent in the US and Brazil, and 72 per cent in Turkey.
Elvira Grobb, a parent from London said she spends £975 a month on childcare and is having to take on extra work to afford nursery fees, and is ‘close to burnout, working evenings and weekends to fund childcare and is close to dropping her degree as a result’.
