Parents forced to choose between childcare and careers if schools reclose

As the Government introduces its back to school tier system and pushes a return to the office, Yoopies UK investigates the challenging reality of school attendance rotas and potential school closures on parents. In a study of over 500
British parents, over 3⁄4 said it would be “difficult to balance work and childcare”, and 2⁄5 of mothers would take on the bulk of childcare if schools were to reclose.

As schools set to re-open, full-time parents were the largest group in favour of sending children to school. The conclusion is clear: schools reopening are a lifeline for parents to continue working, and the economy depends on this. CEO Benjamin Suchar reported, “there is a clear relationship between parents who want their children to return to school and their employment status, an unsurprising trend given that schools offer working parents full-time
childcare.”

Of the parents surveyed who want to send their children back, 64% were in full-time work, 30% were in part-time work and 6% were unemployed. Contrastingly, of those who do not want to send their children back, 45% were in full-time work, 36% were in part-time work and 18% were unemployed.

Uncertainty regarding childcare particularly impacts women and their career trajectory, as our survey highlights: women are most likely to take on the bulk of the childcare. When asked who will look after your children if schools reclose, 39% answered ‘predominantly me’, 33% answered ‘shared with partner’ and 28% were unsure. Francesca Chong, Head of Yoopies UK adds “without adequate childcare available, we risk a situation in which women have less
choice over their career options.” The World Economic Forum has already declared Covid-19.