Free Business Essays - Does childcare improve mothers participation in the labour market
As the client has already completed the literature review and methodology, the client would like the expert to correlate the questionnaire with the client's literature review and methodology.
The client has stated in the methodology that the client has completed 75 questionnaires, the client would like the expert to say the response rate was 75.
The client would like the findings to show that:- -low percentage of mothers entered employment since their child start at the nursery, but however they felt it has encouraged them -high percentage entered training and education.
with regards to the interview questions the client would like the answers to correlate with literature review, methodology and the findings with the questionnaires
Other Notes: the client will be sending their :-
- Literature Review
- Methodology
- sample of questionnaire
- sample of interview questions
the client would like the executive summary, findings, analysis, conclusion and recommendation to correlate with the client's literature Review and methodology.
Does childcare improve a mother's participation in the labour market?
The new labour government believe so
My Executive Summary
This dissertation is about childcare and in particular the impact of the neighbourhood nursery scheme on the community of Erith. It was proposed that there was a link between the introduction of such a scheme in the local community and the return to work, or education of mothers with young children. In particular this dissertation had two main questions which the researcher wanted an answer to, namely
1. To what extent had Sure Start (Neighbourhood Nurseries) helped mothers back to work? And
2. What were the women's' opinions about childcare and its assistance in allowing women to return to work?
From the above an hypothesis was formed:
Childcare provision helps a mother back to work.
To test this hypothesis and answer the pertinent questions, it was necessary to undertake a review into the methodological approach required. The researcher decided that to obtain an appropriate sample size and undertake a two pronged approach:-
1. A questionnaire distributed to all seventy five parents who use the sure start nursery scheme in Erith, consisting of ten quantitative questions and two qualitative questions.
2. A semi structured questionnaire undertaken by the manager of the nursery.
Together, the results of the two approaches were compared against each other and then analysed against the secondary data discussed in the literature review.
It was concluded that whilst a large number of mothers had not returned to work, the fact that a child care provision was in place had enabled many of them to take up further training, which in turn would lead to employment. All of the women surveyed believed that childcare was most important in enabling them to return to work, but whether or not that was a neighbourhood nursery was debateable.
The researcher wishes to state that they are aware of the limitations of the findings as the study was based upon one neighbourhood nursery in Erith. It cannot be determined that these results would be applicable to neighbourhood nurseries anywhere else in the country, nor that the results can be applied to privately run nurseries or other pre-school establishments. To establish the generality of the findings, a study of a broader sample of organisations would be necessary.
Findings
In the methodology chapter the various approaches to research were discussed and it was determined that the appropriate approach required for this dissertation was to
1. Distribute questionnaires to all seventy five users of the neighbourhood nursery, with the help of the nursery manager and
2. Undertake a semi-structured interview with the nursery manager.
These interviews took place during February 2006 and the aim of the research was to try and answer two questions:-
1. To what extent had Sure Start (Neighbourhood Nurseries) helped mothers back to work? And
2. What were women's' opinions about childcare and its assistance in allowing women to return to work?
Following on from which the researcher was hoping to prove the hypothesis, namely that
Childcare provision helps a mother back to work
Results of the Parents questionnaire (please note that I have had to change the wording of the questionnaire slightly to read well and convey the meaning I think you want, please note you will need to amend this in the appendix)
The questionnaire approach was used for the nursery parents as a previous discussion with the nursery manager had implied that it may be the most suitable source, due to parents constantly being pressed for time, as mentioned in the methodology section. Despite this fact, the researcher is pleased to report that they received a one hundred percent response to the parent questionnaire with all seventy five questionnaires being completed and returned to the researcher within two weeks of distribution.
The content of the questionnaire was mixed, with subjective, objective and qualitative responses being requested. Some of the questions asked upon the survey were specific to the use of childcare facilities in general, with the neighbourhood nursery given as an example of such (question one, four, five, nine) whilst others specifically looked at the nursery facility itself (question two, three, eight, ten). The final questions were of a more qualitative nature and a section was given for general comments to further inform the researcher.
Q1. As a mother, would you face considerable challenges balancing work and family life if there was no childcare facility such as a neighbourhood nursery?
Strongly agree = 28%
Agree = 55%
Disagree = 17%
This was a very open ended question about the possibility of no childcare facility in the neighbourhood, so it is not surprising that 83% either agreed or strongly agreed that having no childcare would be detrimental to their work and family life. It is, therefore presumed that the remaining 17% would probably have had friends or family members who would have been able to help them out or could undertake this activity themselves.
Q2. Has using the nursery encouraged you to enter employment?
Strongly agree = 10%
Agree = 15%
Disagree = 75%
Surprisingly, the establishment of the neighbourhood nursery had not, in itself, been a trigger factor in encouraging women to return to work with 75% disagreeing that it had helped them back to employment.
Q3. Has using the nursery encouraged you to go back into education/ training?
Strongly agree = 15%
Agree = 47%
Disagree = 28%
Strongly disagree =10%
This question was specifically looking at whether or not the nursery was the reason why 62% of the mothers had re-entered education/ training or if they had not already done so, were at least considering the option.
Q4. Childcare plays an important role in whether a mother decides to return to work or not?
Strongly agree = 35%
Agree = 65%
Disagree = 0%
Question four was another general childcare question, so whilst many of the mothers had not returned to work, nonetheless they felt that childcare did indeed play an important role in a mother's decision to return to work.
Q5. The main barrier to employment for a mother is the lack of childcare?
Strongly agree = 10%
Agree = 40%
Disagree = 45%
Strongly disagree = 5%
Again, this was another general question on childcare and the result was split 50:50 as to whether or not the main barrier to employment was lack of childcare. Quite possibly this could be because there is a great deal of childcare choice in the Erith area.
Q6. Are you in employment?
Yes = 40%
No = 60%
Q7. Have you entered employment since your child has been attending nursery?
Yes = 23%
No = 77%
Q8. Would you have been able to work if your child was not attending nursery?
Yes = 70%
No = 30%
Q9. Did you use informal childcare for your child/ children before neighbourhood nursery?
Yes = 70%
No = 30%
Q10. Would you say that the fees are reasonable?
Yes = 58%
No = 42%
Q11. What are your thoughts with regards to the government's expansion of nurseries to encourage mothers back into the labour market?
Responses included:-
- Good
- I don't really know anything about it
- 12.5 hours funded is not enough to help me back to work, I would like more 'free time'
- Free time is only for termly sessions, but I only get 4/5 weeks holiday
Q12. Are there any aspects that you feel the government can do to help you further balance family and work in regards to childcare? Please state.
- More paid sessions
- No, employers need to be more flexible with regard to hours worked and more leave, if unpaid.
- I work weekends, but there is no child care for the weekends or shift workers who need a later cover time.
Results of the nursery manager interview
In addition to the seventy five parent questionnaires, some time was spent with the manager of the nursery in order to expand upon some research thoughts and to back up or enhance comments made by parents. Questions and a resume of the answers are shown below:
Q1. What are your thoughts with regards to the government's plans to expand the provision of nurseries to encourage mothers back into the labour market?
On the whole the nursery manager thought that it was good that more money was spent in this area.
It gave parents more choice and the option to claim back some or all of the fees, depending upon financial situation
Parents could use the facility for the whole day or just for the odd session
It allowed the child to interact with others of their age and was a great way for children to meet and play with their future school classmates
Whilst the plans were set up to help mothers/ fathers return to work, it was also good that the facility could be used to give the carer a break for a few hours each week.
Q2. Are there any aspects that you feel the government can do to help you further balance family and work in regards to childcare?
This was a personal question to the nursery manager who felt that she was happy with her own family and work balance, but of course agreed that more funded sessions or a free nursery facility would be even better, although probably not that likely.
Q3. Would you agree that childcare plays an important role whether a mother decides to work or not.
The nursery manager agreed that childcare was important and that the nursery education was a good way of enabling the child to socialise whilst easing the child into a future school routine.
Q4. Do you think that neighbourhood nurseries are achieving their aim, in regards to enabling mothers to enter employment?
The nursery manager felt that the neighbourhood nursery scheme was good as it enabled more children to have a nursery education than in previous years as the government had guaranteed places. With regard to enabling the mother to return to work, it cannot be categorically stated that it does directly help in this regard, but that with regard to parents at Erith, it had been noted that many had taken the time to review their future options and as a result gone back into education or training, so indirectly it had helped. Without the support of the nursery that may not have happened, she felt, but of course there was still a place for childminding both professionally and family oriented also.
Limitations to the Findings
Within the methodology section, the researcher had noted possible limitations to the approach to be used
- Questionnaires are reliant upon the quality of the feedback
- The wording of a question could be misunderstood
- Some sections may not be completed
On receiving the questionnaires back from the mothers', it was noted that little or no information was given in some of the qualitative sections and hind sight had shown that some of the questions may have been construed as meaning childcare in general, rather than the nursery provision in general and visa versa. The researcher has noted for the future that it may have been more obvious to the mother if the nursery related questions had been consecutive, followed by the general childcare questions and so forth. . However, by using the triangulation approach (Saunders et al) as discussed in the methodology section, having the back up of the semi-structured interview with the nursery manager has helped to clarify points the researcher wished to raise.
Conclusion - Findings
This section has given a brief overview of the results from both the parent questionnaires and the nursery manager interview. The questions asked covered a range of both childcare and nursery specific issues as well as the viewpoints from each and have tried to address the questions as set down in this dissertation
1. To what extent had Sure Start (Neighbourhood Nurseries) helped mothers back to work? And
2. What were women's' opinions about childcare and its assistance in allowing women to return to work?
The analysis section will now take the results, which will be reviewed against the above questions and then secondary research from the literature review will be applied to justify, as appropriate. It is the researcher's intention to try to provide answers to each question asked and ultimately ascertain whether or not the hypothesis
Childcare provision helps a mother back to work
holds true.
ANALYSIS
The title of this dissertation asked the question, Does childcare improve a mother's participation in the labour market? and from this the researcher formulated the hypothesis that
Childcare provision helps a mother back to work.
The researcher decided that the research would be undertaken locally and as such was based upon the neighbourhood nursery in Erith, due to the close proximity of the researcher's home. In order to see if the hypothesis holds true, two research questions were asked
1. To what extent had Sure Start (Neighbourhood Nurseries) helped mothers back to work? And
2. What were women's' opinions about childcare and its assistance in allowing women to return to work?
In order to try and answer these questions seventy five mothers whose children attended the neighbourhood nursery in Erith were asked to complete a questionnaire which comprised a mix of closed and open ended questions. An overwhelming response of a one hundred percent return was received by the researcher. The responses were noted in the findings section of this dissertation. In order to gain further insight, the researcher undertook a short semi-structured interview with the manager of said nursery to gain further insight into childcare provision and parents views.
Throughout the analysis section the researcher will take the results from both surveys which will be reviewed alongside the secondary sources discussed in the literature review and will conclude by determining whether the research questions have been answered and whether the hypothesis holds true.
Results compared with literature review (source is from customers literature review)
During the writing of the literature review, the researcher has ascertained that there are various reasons why mothers do not return or enter the work place. Having discussed the issues in detail the researcher is now providing key headings under which results will be compared.
- Ungerson and Kember (1997) - There is a relationship between nursery places provided and women's participation in the workplace.
Whilst this research looked at the introduction of nurseries during the period of the 1940's it went on to suggest that the availability of such was a contributory factor in a mothers' decision to return to work. Question two asked whether or not the provision of a nursery place in Erith had encouraged mothers to enter employment. A high percentage of seventy five said that using the nursery did not have any impact in this regard and they had not re-entered employment. However, question seven showed that despite this, of those who did work, 23% of those had returned since their child had been attending the nursery. But when asked if they had been able to work if the child was not attending nursery, question eight, 70% said yes they would have been able to return to work, question nine hinted that most had used another form of childcare before their child had entered the neighbourhood nursery - so quite possibly they may have reverted back to this method.
On discussing these issues with the nursery manager, question four, she felt that whilst the neighbourhood nursery scheme offered sufficient spaces for children not all of the mothers' had taken the decision to return to work - although a number of those she knew were updating their skills by way of training.
- Chancellor Gordon Brown (Pre-budget 1997) - the National Child Care Strategy would help women back into work
There is no doubt that the government are trying hard to be seen to facilitating the return to work by providing more nursery spaces. The mother's question twelve looked at their opinions about the governments approach to help further the balance between family and work. Responses given whilst favourable, emphasised the shortcomings of the system currently in place, namely that
1) The current rate of 12.5 hours week is not really sufficient to enable a decision to return to work
2) There is no real childcare provision for mothers who work shifts or at weekends
3) Employers should be a bit more flexible to facilitate a mothers return and continuance in employment.
Backing up this response, in answer to the nursery manager's question one relating to her thoughts on the governments plans to expand the nursery provision, her response was
1) The nursery provision gave parents more choice
2) All parents of children above 3 received some financial benefit by way of refunds and some places were fully funded
3) It was a good environment in which children could socialise with their peers and develop social/ sharing skills in advance of attending school
4) Parents do not always wish to return to work, but this facility gives them a welcome break if required
- Harris et al (2004) - The availability of formal childcare did play a role in the mother's decision making process about going back to work, especially where informal care was not available.
Question one showed that the lack of availability of childcare would cause difficulties when seriously affect the work/ life balance, whilst, question four, one hundred percent agreed that childcare plays an important role in a mother's decision to return to work. The nursery manager, question three, also agreed that the provision of childcare was important in helping a mother decide whether or not to return to work, but most importantly the child's chance to socialise with others was equally as important.
- Williams & Stevens (2002) - Women are not necessarily aware of all the governments' initiatives to help them and Women and Equality Unit (2005) - agree that the government has expanded good quality childcare.
Whilst there was no formal question relating to general government initiatives, taking this theme into consideration, the author asked the mother's what they thought about the current initiative, in which they were all partaking. Surprisingly, many did not know about the government's expansion plans, whilst others thought the plans were good and of course others wanted more. But surely the test here is the fact that seventy five mother's are actually using the local facility in Erith.
Having extracted some of the themes explored in the literature review and applied them to the results of the mothers' questionnaires and the nursery manager's semi-structured interview it can be seen that there is certainly an agreement that good quality childcare is very important regardless of the situation. Whilst many of the mothers had not returned to work, sixty two percent (question three) had decided to take up formal training or further education. This fact was also picked up by the nursery manager who had noted the trend and pointed out that by default, this could indeed imply that these mothers's were undertaking training with a view to returning to employment in the future. The neighbourhood nursery initiative was set up with the intention of reducing child poverty and further education and skills updating by way of training is a positive step in that direction.
Question one - achieved?
The first question asked at the beginning of this dissertation, was
1. To what extent had Sure Start (Neighbourhood Nurseries) helped mothers back to work?
The researcher believes that the neighbourhood nursery has made a positive step forward in enabling mothers to either return to work or consider doing so. Whilst only twenty five percent, question two, had said that using the nursery had encouraged them to enter employment, very few had actually returned to work since their child was at the nursery only 23% of those working had entered since using the facility. However, the researcher would argue that helping mothers back to work is more than just gaining employment itself. The time that the child spends at the nursery unit gives more time back to the mother. Many of those mothers have obviously reflected upon their future, quite possibly considering the day their child goes to full time education. As a result of this a high percentage, sixty two per cent had, or were considering, undertaking further education or training. The researcher believes that this is a very positive step as it will enable those mothers to have a wider choice of employment options, than they may have had prior to their child entering the neighbourhood nursery in Erith.
Question two -achieved?
There were two research questions that the author wanted answers to. The second was
2. What were women's' opinions about childcare and its assistance in allowing women to return to work?
Question two was looking more broadly at childcare enabling a mother's return to work, as opposed to nursery specifically, so it was not surprising that access to a nursery was not the main reason given to encourage a mother back to work. The provision of childcare was the most important factor with one hundred percent agreeing to this fact, question four and lack of childcare was not really seen as an obstacle. As the researcher has already pointed out in the literature review, there are many forms of childcare and informal, unpaid (such as family) care is very popular amongst mothers. There are also childminding facilities and workplace nurseries, so the neighbourhood nursery was not a deciding factor - access to childcare and the quality of that care. This was probably the reason why in question eight, seventy percent of those working had said that they would still be able to do so if their child was not attending the nursery and all had used other forms of childcare, question nine, and prior to that.
High on the mother's agenda was also the issue of funding with respondents in both question eleven and twelve asking for more funding, backed up by the response from the nursery manager.
The answer to question two is therefore, choice of childcare, availability and financial assistance.
Finally, in the analysis section, as a result of successfully answering the two research questions, the researcher can conclude that the hypothesis
Childcare provision helps a mother back to work
Does indeed hold true in connection to this dissertation.
CONCLUSION
Childcare is very important to the mother and the quality of that care, the choice available to the mother and cost are also determining factors. Just because a government has set up a scheme, it does not necessarily mean that the mother will return immediately to the workplace. But by allowing choice and giving training incentives and options there is going to be a knock on effect in that more mother's will return to the work place, with many of those considerably more highly trained and qualified than when they left employment to have their child.
In answer to the question raised at the beginning of this dissertation Does childcare improve a mother's participation in the labour market? The new labour government believe so - the researcher believes so also.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Whilst much of the research was based upon secondary research, the main findings were based on one neighbourhood nursery in Erith. The participants were current users of the nursery and the manager of the establishment. There could be perceived to be an element of bias in the results. It cannot be determined that these results would be applicable to neighbourhood nurseries anywhere else in the country, nor that the results can be applied to other pre-school establishments.
Whilst the participants in the survey were happy with their nursery, there were recommendations for the future that they would like the government to take on board
- The amount of 'free' hours each week is low and could be a contributory factor to the low levels currently working
- Regular ongoing research will be required to see if the situation improves
- The government could commission research from other neighbourhood nurseries from which it could compile a realistic overview of the situation and could really conform the answer to it's question does childcare improve a mother's participation in the labour market?
