- Climate change, economics muddy West's drive to curb Chinese EVs
- Argentina's Milei vetoes university budget after huge protests
- TotalEnergies plans to grow oil and gas production until 2030
- 2024 Nobels offer glimmer of hope as global crises mount
- Tokyo rallies on weak yen, Hong Kong reverses after surge
- Tunisia readies for vote as incumbent Saied eyes victory
- High childcare costs in US weigh on women's employment
- US voters seek help with crushing childcare costs
- Taiwan shuts down for second day as Typhoon Krathon to land
- Supercharged storms: how climate change amplifies cyclones
- Biden official urges talks as US port strike enters second day
- Huge protests in Argentina over public university cuts
- Rally in oil prices loses steam on mixed day for global stocks
- South America treated to rare 'ring of fire' eclipse
- Biden official says port strike deal not as far as parties think
- Mexico's new president offers apology for 1968 student massacre
- Historic funding round values OpenAI at $157 billion
- Mixed US car sales in Q3 as industry hopes for post-election bounce
- Thunderstorms are a 'boiling pot' of gamma rays, scientists find
- Scientists unlock secret of 'Girl With Pearl Earring'
- Dolphins flash friendly grins when they're ready to play
- Facing backlash, EU moves to delay deforestation rules
- US private sector adds more jobs than expected in September: ADP
- Boys out of critical condition after Zurich stabbings
- Spain logs record summer tourism as inflow draws protests
- Hedi Slimane quits as Celine's artistic director
- Oil prices extend rally on Iran attack
- Spain welcomed record number of tourists this summer
- France says coming tax hikes on the wealthy to be 'temporary'
- Why are Thailand's roads so deadly?
- Oracle to invest $6.5 bn in Malaysian cloud services region
- Parkrun marks 20 years of a free weekly jog, run... or walk
- Oil extends rally after Iran attack, Hong Kong soars again
- Prostitutes, prospectors drive spread in DR Congo mpox capital
- Oil extends rally after Iran attack, Hong Kong resumes surge
- Extreme heat another form of death sentence in Texas jails
- Can music help plants grow? Study suggests sound boosts fungus
- Nike earnings drop, says turnaround will take time
- US dockworkers launch mass strike a month before election
- Iron Dome: Israel's key anti-missile shield
- Cranes stand still as US dockworkers fight for 'future'
- GM reports US sales dip, but says EVs grew
- Sheinbaum takes office as Mexico's first woman president
- Webb telescope detects carbon dioxide on Pluto's largest moon
- Stock markets slump, oil jumps on Middle East concerns
- French PM vows more taxes and spending cuts ahead of budget fight
- Germany inaugurates IBM's first European quantum data centre
- Stock markets diverge as eurozone inflation drops further
- France's richest man takes control of Paris Match magazine
- Anger meets tear gas as Nigeria hardship protests fizzle out
SCS | -2.56% | 12.87 | $ | |
CMSD | -0.04% | 24.93 | $ | |
RBGPF | 100% | 59.99 | $ | |
RYCEF | 0.14% | 6.91 | $ | |
NGG | -1.85% | 68.78 | $ | |
CMSC | 0.04% | 24.78 | $ | |
RELX | -0.11% | 47.29 | $ | |
RIO | -0.48% | 70.82 | $ | |
GSK | -2.15% | 39.45 | $ | |
VOD | -2.16% | 9.74 | $ | |
BCE | -1.13% | 34.44 | $ | |
BCC | -1.33% | 139.53 | $ | |
AZN | 1.14% | 79.58 | $ | |
JRI | -1.12% | 13.38 | $ | |
BTI | -1.33% | 35.97 | $ | |
BP | 0.86% | 32.37 | $ |
High childcare costs in US weigh on women's employment
Rising childcare costs in the United States are forcing many parents, often mothers, to work fewer hours or none at all -- fueling concern among voters who feel the pinch in today's economy.
Childcare is among American households' largest expenses, and ahead of the November presidential election, voters are hoping politicians will take notice.
- Spike in costs -
Official data shows day care and preschool costs -- already frustratingly high for many families -- rose more quickly than the overall inflation rate over the past year.
Day care costs rose 6.2 percent from August 2023 to the same month in 2024, according to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) report.
Overall CPI inflation for the month was 2.5 percent.
Childcare competes with rent as the most expensive budget item for families, said Elise Gould, senior economist with the Economic Policy Institute.
About 60 percent of households spend 20 percent or more of their income on childcare, according to a survey by online marketplace Care.com.
The US Department of Health and Human Services considers childcare affordable when it costs no more than seven percent of household income.
In a 2023 report, the Department of Labor noted that even though childcare prices vary across the country, they are "untenable for families even in lower-priced areas."
- Women pay the price -
"Many parents are not able to work because they can't afford childcare," Gould said.
And such "responsibilities have traditionally fallen disproportionately on moms," noted Bank of America economist Taylor Bowley.
"The rising cost of childcare really does spark concern about the progress of women's participation in the workforce going forward," she told AFP.
She added that affordability likely hits lower-income families harder.
ZipRecruiter chief economist Julia Pollak added that "there's a very real risk that this will stall the progress being made by women."
The costs women face include foregone income, "retirement insecurity" and lower chances of promotion at the workplace after taking time off to help with childcare, Gould added.
- Fewer return to work -
While the labor force participation rate for women aged 25-54 has returned to 2019 levels after plunging during the Covid-19 crisis, government data show this is still lower than the rate for men.
Women's participation reached a high of 78.4 percent in August, markedly below the 89.5 percent figure for men.
"The lack of a robust care infrastructure may continue to prevent mothers from achieving their full potential in the labor force," the Department of Labor said in May.
Meanwhile, "one factor that may have contributed to the growth in employment for some US mothers is the increasing prevalence of telework," it added.
- Trailing other countries -
The United States' workforce participation for women trails that of other Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.
The country has the second-highest childcare costs, behind New Zealand, according to the Bank of America.
While US women's labor participation was rising alongside peers like Canada and France, these other countries have seen relatively steady increases while growth for the United States has somewhat "plateaued," said Pollak.
There are studies suggesting a major factor is the cost of childcare, she added.
H.Cho--CPN