Four in ten women in Scotland terminated their pregnancy due to cost of childcare, Pregnant Then Screwed says

Four in ten women in Scotland who have terminated a pregnancy say the cost of childcare was the primary reason behind their decision, research has shown.

A survey published by Pregnant Then Screwed has found 84% of parents say their childcare costs the same or more than their income – meaning that some parents are effectively paying to go to work.

As a result, 71% of mothers and 50% of fathers say it doesn’t make financial sense for them to work.

Around 41% of parents say that they have had to rely on some form of debt or withdraw money from their savings to pay for childcare.

A quarter of parents (27.8%) report having to choose between paying for childcare and buying essential items, with one in five (20%) have had to raid their savings or pension to pay their childcare bills.

Soaring bills are a rising concern among families

Carole Erskine, head of policy and campaigns in Scotland from Pregnant Then Screwed, said: “The government is desperate for families in Scotland to have more babies, but our research shows that many parents simply can’t afford to have children due to the ever-spiralling costs of childcare.

“If we do not see increased investment into the sector, more parents will be forced to make the heart-breaking decision to abort wanted children, leave work, or forgo essential items because of the cost of childcare.

“It’s a package of issues; that is poor maternity pay once they go off work, the cost of childcare, maybe getting back into reduced hours or flexible working if it’s something the employer can’t accommodate.

“All these combined means for a significant number of women, actually having a child could push them into poverty or means their families are struggling month to month.”

The survey also finds around 41.9% of parents say that they are spending more than a quarter of their entire household income on childcare, rising to over half of their household income for 15% of parents.

Cities are worse off – in Aberdeen, the majority of parents (61%) are sacrificing a quarter of their household income, and one in four (25%) are spending over half of their income on childcare.

In Glasgow – 57% of parents are forking out a quarter of their household income, and almost a quarter of parents (23%) in the city are spending almost half.

Data in the report shows that a vast majority – 94% – of parents do not believe that the government is doing enough to support parents with childcare in Scotland.

Carole Erskine said children are becoming a 'luxury item' for many families — Carole Erskine said children are becoming a ‘luxury item’ for many families

Ms Erskine added: “Having children is becoming a luxury item for many, and we need to nip this in the bud fast for the sake of our economy.

“Parents cannot pay to go to work; it doesn’t make financial sense, but as things stand, many have no other choice. If the government is serious about supporting families in Scotland, we need to see investment that matches that vision.”

A total of 2,658 parents in Scotland responded to the survey by Women In Data, with more than 35,800 surveyed across the UK.

A sample of 705 respondents was then randomly selected from the Scottish figure. It was then weighted to be representative of the Scottish population based on gender, local authority and social grade to create a 2024 State of the Nation report.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “A women’s right to choose is a deeply personal issue and there are a wide range of reasons why different women may seek an abortion. The Scottish Government will look carefully at the full findings of this research once it is published.

“Scotland is the only part of the UK to already offer 1,140 hours a year of funded early learning and childcare to all three and four-year-olds and eligible two-year-olds (equivalent to 30 hours per week in term time) regardless of their parents’ working status – putting children first. This offer has been in place since 2021 and, if families paid for this themselves, it would cost them around £5,800 per eligible child per year.

“We recognise that supporting families through high quality, affordable and accessible childcare is critical to our national mission to tackle child poverty.  We will continue our work to develop an expanded national offer for more families with two-year olds, and progress work with early adopter communities in six local authorities to develop local systems of funded childcare for families who need it most.”

Survey findings

37.9% of those who have terminated their pregnancy somewhat or absolutely agree with the statement “I believe that the cost of childcare was the primary reason for me to terminate a pregnancy”
85.4% of parents agree with the statement “I tend to view childcare costs as prohibitive of having more children”
“83.7% of mothers often feel that childcare costs are the same or more than their income”
“Mothers are more likely than fathers to agree with the statement “I believe that after paying for childcare it doesn’t make financial sense for me to go to work” (71.1% vs 50.1%)”
“27.8% of parents agree with the statement “I often find myself choosing between paying for childcare and household essentials”.
“41% of parents say that they have had to rely on some form of debt, or they have had to withdraw money from their savings to pay for childcare. With 41% saying they have had to borrow money and 20% saying they have had to withdraw money from savings or their pension.”
“41.9% of parents say they spend more than a quarter of their household income on childcare. With 15.3% saying they spend more than half their household income on childcare
The largest burden appears to be in the cities
- Aberdeen City: 61% of parents say more than quarter, with 25% more than half
- Glasgow City: 57% of parents say more than quarter, with 23% more than half