Last week, Pregnant then Screwed Scotland released the first of the findings from the 2026 State of the Nation survey. The release included shocking statistics on the impact that childcare is having on mothers in Scotland.

Childcare costs are forcing families to choose between giving up their jobs or paying the price, as half of all mums say it doesn’t make financial sense for them to work. 

Over 1100 Scottish families were surveyed as part of Pregnant Then Screwed’s State of the Nation Survey for 2026.   The annual survey explores parents’ experiences of childcare, parental leave, pregnancy, maternity discrimination and workplace culture.  The research highlights that:

• Two-thirds (66.1%) of mothers in Scotland agree or strongly agree that their childcare costs are the same or more than their income.  
• Around half (51%) agree or strongly agree with the statement “I believe that after paying for childcare, it doesn’t make financial sense for me to go to work.
• Over a third (34.5%) of mothers say they often find themselves choosing between paying for childcare and household essentials
• And 27.8% said they had to rely on some form of debt or withdraw money from their savings to pay for their childcare.

The research was released in the same week that the Scottish Government released their own review of the expansion of funded childcare from 600 hours to 1140 annually for all three and four year olds, and eligible twos. While the review provides welcome results for the Scottish Government’s expansion, it also reveals that funded childcare is not going far enough.

The review found that half of parents in Scotland are having to pay for childcare, and the average cost is £726 per month. For parents with children under 3, the cost is even higher at £733 per month. Of those paying for childcare, it found that two fifths had struggled to afford their childcare bills.

Head of Policy and Campaigns for Pregnant then Screwed Scotland, Carole Erskine, comments:

“We’re reaching a breaking point for childcare in Scotland. Parents, providers and staff are buckling under the pressure of an underfunded, confusing and complex system that is leaving many Scottish families under significant financial strain.

“Parents are having to make difficult decisions about whether it makes financial sense for them to work just to pay for childcare, or have to miss out on household essentials to cover childcare bills.

“Our new model for childcare – Scotland’s Childcare Guarantee – would set childcare costs at 5% of a family’s income and give parents the stability they need. This could be revolutionary for families who find childcare is too expensive for them to access.”