Young Women’s Trust responds to new figures showing 6 in 10 women who have had abortions were influenced by childcare costs:
New figures released today by Pregnant Then Screwed show that 6 in 10 women who have had an abortion say childcare costs influenced their decision. The research also found that 76% of Black women and 76% of single parents said childcare costs caused their decision.
Responding to the figures, Claire Reindorp, CEO of Young Women’s Trust, says:
“It’s a total injustice that the extortionate costs of childcare are having such a profound impact on women’s lives – and particularly so for Black women and single parents.
“This story resonates with our own research with young women: more than 3 in 5 told us that they’re forced to put off having children until they can afford it. With young women earning on average a fifth less than young men to start with, they’re being hit so much harder by the cost of living crisis. And this isn’t only hurting them right now: it is clearly also limiting their choices about the kinds of lives they want to live.
“We can’t let our young women’s futures fall victim to the economic and political turbulence we’re all living through. The new government must prioritise investing in childcare, alongside a renewed focus on measures from the abandoned Employment Bill to improve women’s rights in the workplace. We need to make sure women have the economic freedom to make true choices for themselves about whether and when to have children.”
Note to editors
Figures are from Just Getting By: Young Women’s Trust Annual Survey 2022, a survey of 4,075 young women aged 18 to 30, carried out by Yonder Data Solutions on behalf of Young Women’s Trust between 11 and 19 April 2022. More than 3 in 5 (61%) of young women say they will put off having children until they can afford to have them. This is an increase of over 20% since 2020.
According to ONS figures, in 2021, young women aged 18 to 21 earned 31% less than young men of the same age. Young women aged 22 to 29 earned 13% less. Taken as an average, young women aged 18 to 29 earn 22% less than their male peers.
