British charities say the increasing cost of childcare is putting pressure on parents to stop work and look after their children
Thousands of parents are having to give up their jobs in order to look after their children, instead of forking out for expensive childcare, a new study has found.
Parents are spending a third of their salaries to pay for childcare, found the survey of 4,000 parents by British charities Save the Children and the Daycare Trust.
In Scotland, 350 families on less than £12,000 a year had apparently gone into debt due to care costs, reports the BBC. Also, over 1,000 parents had turned down a job because of high childcare costs.
"Childcare is so expensive it's becoming a luxury that only families earning a very good wage can comfortably afford," said Douglas Hamilton, Save the Children's head of Scotland, reports the BBC.
For four out of 10 families, childcare is the same price as mortgage or rent payments, according to the Guardian.
The charities have called for improved access to affordable, quality childcare and have asked the government to increase the amount they plan to spend on childcare support, in a bid to prevent low income families from going into poverty.
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