WORKING MOTHERS
In 2001, 64 percent of mothers with pre-school aged
children (younger than 6 years) were in the labor
force (either employed or looking for work), and 60
percent were actually employed. Of those mothers,
70 percent worked full-time and 30 percent worked
part-time.
Of women with children ages 6-17, 78 percent were
in the labor force in 2001 and 75 percent were actually
employed. Of employed mothers, 78 percent worked full-time
and 23 percent worked part-time.
CHILD CARE
Data from the 2000 National Survey of Early Childhood
Health reveal that 61 percent of all children between
4 months and 3 years of age spend time in non-parental
child care. Children whose mothers are employed full-time
spend more time in child care than children whose
mothers are employed part-time or not at all. Among
young children whose mothers are employed full-time,
about 38 percent spend between 21-40 hours in child
care per week, and 15 percent spend more than 41 hours
in care. By comparison, 45 percent of children under
3 whose mothers work part-time spend less than 20
hours a week in care and 25 percent spend 21-40 hours
a week in child care. Children whose mothers are not
employed often spend no time in child care.
Generally, children of women employed full-time spend
more time in child care when they live in higher-income
households. In low-income households where the mother
is employed full-time, 44 percent of young children
spend 21 hours or more in child care per week, compared
with 58 percent of children in middle-income households,
and 61 percent of children in high-income households.
An analysis of the 1999 National Survey of America's
Families reveals that pre-school children ages 0-4
with a working parent are most often cared for in
child care centers (28 percent), by relatives (27
percent), or by a parent (27 percent). The remaining
children are cared for in family child care homes
(14 percent) and by nannies or babysitters (4 percent).
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