Research by Save the Children has estimated there are 872,800 stay-at-home mothers who would prefer to work if they could arrange good quality childcare which is convenient, reliable and affordable.
The figures, which are based on new analysis of the Department for Education’s Childcare and early years survey of parents in England, 2017, relate to mothers of children aged between birth and 14 years. Regional data from the survey was published last month.
According to the Save the Children analysis, in the North East, two thirds (67 per cent) of unemployed mothers would prefer to work if they could get the childcare they need. This is the highest proportion in England of the nine areas surveyed, followed by 56 per cent in the West Midlands and 53 per cent in the North West.
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