High living costs 'forcing parents back to work'

13 May 2008

High costs of living are forcing parents back to work when they would rather stay at home and raise their children, it has been revealed.

Research by uSwitch.com has found that the number of mothers who stay at home has fallen by 24 per cent over the last 15 years and over a third of families with children under two years old have both parents at work.

This is despite 71 per cent of parents admitting they would stay at home if money was no object and 32 per cent claiming their children would have a better quality of life if they were not working.

Ann Robinson, director of consumer policy at the firm, remarked that economic pressures and rising household bills are taking away parents' right to choose whether to return to work or not.

"This is all about parents having a say in how they raise their families," she said, adding that families should try and take a "long hard look" at their budgets to see where they can reduce their expenditure.

Data from Citrix Online found that 74 per cent of small and medium-sized businesses have introduced flexible working options.

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