Childcare facilities and parents’ willingness to work

In Estonia, parents with children aged six months to three years face difficulties in making suitable childcare arrangements in order to reconcile work and family life, a 2004 survey reveals. Improvements in childcare facilities could, therefore, improve access to the labour market .

Research on childcare in Estonian families was carried out in 2004, at the initiative of the Ministry of Population Affairs (Rahvastikuministri büroo ). The survey focused on childcare arrangements and parents’ opinions on how these should facilitate a work-life balance. A Powerpoint presentation of the results is available (in Estonian). The survey covered families with children aged six months to three years. In each family, the parent who was mainly in charge of the childcare was interviewed: 97% of the 501 respondents were women. Their average age was 29 years.

Parents who are not active in the labour market (69% of all those interviewed) take care of their children themselves most of the time. Half of the working parents look after their baby themselves with the help of close relatives, while another half use kindergartens, or other forms of childcare. Not surprisingly, the choices of parents depend on the age of their child and the availability of childcare facilities.

It is considered natural that a parent takes care of a child who is younger than 12 months. By the age of three, children are considered to be less dependent on their parents, and kindergartens are viewed as an opportunity to meet other children of the same age.

More than half of parents who were inactive would like to work. The table below shows the main reasons for not working: 93% of parents whose child is one year old believe that the child is too young. For 79% of parents with two-year-old children, the main hindrance is the cost or lack of childcare facilities. Some 83% of parents with children aged three years have difficulties in finding a suitable job.

Barriers for parents to enter the labour market (%)
Barriers for parents with young children who would like to work (%)

	All	One-year-old child	Two-year-old child	Three-year-old child
No/too expensive childcare facilities	74	75	79	33
No work/no convenient part-time job	70	68	70	83
Child is too young	82	93	70	50

Source: Unt and Krusell, 2004, p. 43

Lack of satisfaction with childcare facilities

The inactive parents who would like to work were least satisfied with childcare arrangements in Estonia. In this instance, too, the age of the child is important - most of the parents with children up to one year old are satisfied with being at home. Often, parents with a child of two years would like to return to work but cannot get childcare. Satisfaction with childcare facilities increases among parents of three-year-old children.

However, it is frequently difficult to find a flexible childcare arrangement, e.g. kindergartens may close too early every day or close at a time of year when the parents cannot take leave. It appears that there are not enough opportunities for parents of young children to work part time. The older the child, the more difficult it is for the parent to find a suitable job if they have been absent from the labour market.

The figure below outlines the main ways of improving the situation, from the parents’ view. Almost three quarters (73%) of parents believe that childcare arrangements need to be improved. More than half (55%) of the parents suggested funding for kindergartens that would result in smaller groups of children and, therefore, a more individual approach and appropriate care for children.

Source: Unt and Krusell, 2004, p. 45.

In conclusion, the research highlights the fact that women who want to work outside the home often do not have the option of taking a part-time job. This places the need for childcare services, for children of all ages, high on the agenda for re-entry to the labour market.

References

Unt, M. and Krusell, S., Lastehoid Eesti peredes (Childcare in Estonian families), Rahvastikuministri büroo, Tallinn, 2004.