Most parents would prefer to look after their own young children...

In spite of pressure on mothers to be in the paid workforce and the enormous social/political pressure for more daycare, surveys have repeatedly shown that most parents would prefer to care for their own young children if that were possible.

ONE

A survey completed in 2000 by Public Agenda, a nonpartisan opinion research organization based in New York found that:

- parents prefer one parent staying at home over a "quality day care as the best arrangement for children under five by a margin of 70 percent

TWO

Catherine Hakim, a researcher at the London School of Economics got these answers when she asked parents what they would prefer:

20% would give their priority to family life (Home Centred Women)
20% would give their priority to careers (Work Centred Women)
60% would fit work around their family life (Adaptive Women)

"Hakim persuasively argued that by basing policies on the work-centred 20%, just because they conformed to certain feminist expectations, the home-centred group were disadvantaged, and so were the adaptive women, who often preferred shorter hours and other reforms that made it possible to meet the needs of children." (1, 2)

THREE

"The Swedish case is very revealing - there was high quality infant care available to all and heavily subsidized. It was widely used in the 70s and 80s, but in the early 90s, parental leave was increased and now there is remarkably little use of childcare under 18 months. Parents voted with their feet." (3)

FOUR

The latest Gallup survey shows majorities of men and women preferring the traditional male and female roles of breadwinner and family caretaker, respectively. These results show that over the past four years, younger women -- much more than older women -- have turned away from working outside the home. Today, only 40% of younger women choose that option, compared with 56% of younger women in 2001 -- a 16-point decline. Among older women, the decline is more modest -- from 48% four years ago to 43% today. (4)

FIVE

All of this is without comment on the fact that daycare for under 3s makes breastfeeding, with its enormous proven preventive benefits much more difficult for the year or more recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics or two years or more as recommended by the World Health Organization.

References:

1. Biddulph S. Raising Babies: Should under 3s go to nursery? ISBN 13978-0-00-722192-9 2005 p. 42


2. Hakim, Catherine, Work-Lifestyle Choices in the 21st Century: Preference Theory, Oxford University Press, 2000


3. Edward Melhuish July 8, 2004 Madeleine Bunting: http://society.guardian.co.uk/children/story/0,1074,1256423,00.html


4. From: Gender Stereotypes Prevail on Working Outside the Home, The Gallop Poll Website Aug 17/05 What Do Parents Really Want?