A survey of 1,002 people aged 16 and over, conducted on behalf of marketresearch company Key Note in March 2008, found that 76 per cent ofadults in Britain believe mothers of young children should not go out towork, compared with 42 per cent who were asked in 2005.
However, 45 per cent of adults said that the Government is not doingenough to help mothers with young children who wish to return to work,compared with 21 per cent in 2005, despite the introduction ofinitiatives such as the right to request flexible working.
More than three-quarters of respondents said that parents should haveequal rights in terms of childcare benefits such as maternity andpaternity leave, compared with 43 per cent in 2005.
When asked to name the types of childcare they would use, 58 per cent ofrespondents said they would use nurseries, compared with 31 per cent in2005.
The number of people who said they would use childminders has more thandoubled, from 17 per cent in 2005 to 40 per cent in 2008, and the numberof people who would hire a nanny has also grown, from 8 per cent in 2005to 22 per cent in 2008.
The Key Note report, Childcare Market Assessment 2008, forecasts thatthe demand for childcare will continue to grow from now to 2012 becauseof an expected growth in the number of children in Britain and a 7 percent increase in the number of children under four.
However, it concludes that private nurseries will continue to struggledue to increased competition from the maintained sector and parentschoosing to opt for alternative types of childcare such as childmindersand nannies.
'It is clear that both large and small private nurseries need tocontinue to adapt to future trends as they have been for the past fewyears; large players may have to downsize and smaller players may closedown under the pressure of competition,' the report says.
Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of the National Day NurseriesAssociation, said, 'While we are pleased to see the report recognisesthat childcare providers work hard to adapt to changing parental needsand work patterns, it fails to recognise that there needs to beresolution of a number of issues in order for them to continue toprovide a high-quality service to families. Problems with the freeentitlement, rising costs and restriction in what settings can chargemeans that there are a number of factors out of a setting's control, dueto affordability for parents.
'As the report shows, the majority of childcare is provided by the PVIsectors, yet without direct investment so that childcare remainsaffordable, many face an uncertain future.'
