4 in 10 (37.9%) women in Scotland who have terminated a pregnancy say the cost of childcare was the primary reason behind their decision 

4 in 5 (83.7%) mothers say they often feel childcare costs the same or more than their income – meaning some parents are in fact, paying to work 

20 MARCH 2024; New research from Pregnant Then Screwed has revealed the heartbreaking consequences of childcare costs on parents in Scotland – with 4 in 10 women terminating a pregnancy because of the prohibitive cost of childcare.  

Pregnant Then Screwed surveyed over 35,800 parents. Women In Data® randomly selected a sample of 705 respondents from a total sample size of 2658 and weighted it to be representative of the Scottish population based on Gender, local authority and social grade to create a 2024 State of the Nation report. The new research has shone a light on the impact high childcare costs are having on parents with 4 in 5 mothers (83.7%) saying their childcare costs are the same or more than their income. Meaning that some parents are in fact, paying to work. 

As a result, 71% of mothers and 50% of fathers say it doesn’t make financial sense for them to work. A quarter of parents (27.8%) are in an impossible situation where they have to choose between paying for childcare and buying essential items. 

For others, debts are becoming unavoidable. A huge 41% of parents say that they have had to rely on some form of debt or withdraw money from their savings to pay for childcare. And shockingly, 1 in 5 (20%) have had to raid their savings or pension to pay their childcare bills. 

Carole Erskine, Head of Policy & Campaigns in Scotland from Pregnant Then Screwed, comments, “The government is desperate for families in Scotland to have more babies, but our research shows that many parents simply can’t afford to have children due to the ever-spiralling costs of childcare. If we do not see increased investment into the sector, more parents will be forced to make the heartbreaking decision to abort wanted children, leave work, or forgo essential items because of the cost of childcare.”

In fact, 41.9% of parents say that they are spending more than a quarter of their entire household income on childcare, rising to over half of their household income for 15% of parents. Cities are worse off – in Aberdeen, the majority of parents (61%) are sacrificing a quarter of their household income, and 1 in 4 (25%) are spending over half of their income on childcare. In Glasgow – 57% of parents are forking out a quarter of their household income, and almost a quarter of parents (23%) in the city are spending almost half. 

Data in the report shows that a vast majority – 94% – of parents do not believe that the government is doing enough to support parents with childcare in Scotland. 

Carole Erskine, Head of Policy & Campaigns in Scotland from Pregnant Then Screwed, continues, “Having children is becoming a luxury item for many, and we need to nip this in the bud fast for the sake of our economy. Parents cannot pay to go to work; it doesn’t make financial sense, but as things stand, many have no other choice. If the government is serious about supporting families in Scotland, we need to see investment that matches that vision.”

 

ENDS 

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About the research:

This research was commissioned by Pregnant Then Screwed.

Survey design, weighting and survey analysis powered and executed by the Women in Data® team led by Taisiya Merkulova. 

Pregnant Then Screwed surveyed over 35,800 parents. Women In Data® randomly selected a sample of 705 respondents from a total sample size of 2658 and weighted it to be representative of the Scottish population based on Gender, local authority and social grade to create a 2024 State of the Nation report. 

Key Stats

• 37.9% of those who have terminated their pregnancy somewhat or absolutely agree with the statement “I believe that the cost of childcare was the primary reason for me to terminate a pregnancy”
• 83.7% of mothers selected “Strongly agree” or “Somewhat agree” on the statement “I often feel that childcare costs are the same or more than my income”
• Mothers are more likely than fathers to agree with the statement “I believe that after paying for childcare it doesn’t make financial sense for me to go to work” (71.1% vs 50.1%)
• 27.8% of parents agree with the statement “I often find myself choosing between paying for childcare and household essentials”.
• 41% of parents say that they have had to rely on some form of debt, or they have had to withdraw money from their savings to pay for childcare. With 41% saying they have had to borrow money and 20% of parents saying they have had to withdraw money from savings or their pension.
• 41.9% of parents say they spend more than a quarter of their household income on childcare. With 15.3% saying they spend more than half their household income on childcare”
  • The largest burden appears to be in the cities: 
    • Aberdeen City: 61% of parents say more than quarter, with 25% more than half
    • Glasgow City: 57% of parents say more than quarter, with 23% more than half
• 85.4% of parents agree with the statement “I tend to view childcare costs as prohibitive of having more children”