11 April 2023 , 23:01
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Childcare costs force almost one in four parents to give up a job or education, a study found.
Asking more than 7,000 parents and carers of under-sevens, researchers found 23% in the UK had either quit work or dropped out of studies.
In Brazil, the figure was 17%. It was 16% in Turkey.
The study by kids’ charity Theirworld also found 74% of UK parents struggle to pay for childcare.
In India, it was 52%, and the figure was 68% in the US and Brazil.
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London-based lecturer Elvira Grob, 41, and her partner spend £975 a month on childcare for their 10-month-old daughter, Yoomi.
Many parents find themselves having to choose between work and childcare (Getty Images)She said: “I’m considering dropping my degree to help pay bills.”
Theirworld head Sarah Brown said: “Providing for children in their early years must be treated as a public good, not a private test of a family’s financial strength.
The latest Budget promised 30 hours of free under-five childcare to eligible households but the offer will not be in place until 2025.