Childcare: A study of white married couples with young children

The focus was on the childcare arrangements made by a sample of white married couples who were parents of children up to the age of twelve years old. Some sample wives were employed full time, some part time and others were full-time housewives. Couples were asked who cared for their children in the morning, afternoon, evening and when they were both out for the evening. The aim was to find out what arrangements white dual-earner and male-breadwinner couples made for childcare and whether husbands were more likely to share childcare in the evenings if their wives were employed. Common beliefs about who ought to be responsible for childcare and some policy issues are discussed initially to provide a social context for the research. It is argued that the provision of childcare is important for at least two key reasons: formal childcare of good quality benefits children and the position of parents generally, and of mothers in particular, would be improved if they had access to affordable childcare facilities. This broader perspective in support of the provision of childcare informs this article.