More than sixty percent of parents in the UK want to see firmer childcare regulations, according to a survey conducted by the magazine Right Start. Colette Kelleher, director of the Daycare Trust, said, “British parents pay the highest childcare bills in Europe. Much more could be done by the Government and employers to help parents meet the costs of childcare.”
The survey found that more than half of working mothers in Britain spend more than 50 pounds (80 US dollars) a week on childcare. British Social Affairs Correspondent Glenda Cooper reported that one in seven working mothers spends half their wages on childcare.
Researchers surveyed more than 500 families and found that almost half rely on unregulated childcare such as friends or family and only 2 percent use workplace nurseries.
One working mother said, “Society still treats working mums as a nasty disease. I had great difficulty finding a childminder — no help from social services and nobody willing to fit in with my shift work as a nurse.”
