Millions of ‘average' two-child families are being forced to cut their working hours as they struggle to cover the cost of childcare, according to new research from
Aviva.
The
Aviva COTS (Cost Of The Sibling) study, which interviewed over 1,000 parents with two or more children, shows that after the birth of their second child, four in ten families feel it is not worth both parents working full time.
The research was carried out to celebrate the first anniversary of Aviva's ‘free life cover for new parents' initiative.
Two children is currently the most common family size in the UK, but with full-time childcare for two children costing nearly £17,000 a year, many of these families say they would be working purely to pay the child-minder.
As a result, they have decided that at least one parent should cut their hours or give up work.
Fifty seven per cent of people who reduce their hours or don't return to work after the birth of their first child, do so to spend more time with their new baby - the main reason given for staying at home. This changes with the second child, with financial factors being the single biggest influence (39 per cent).
These money matters are particularly relevant now, following recent budget proposals to remove Child Trust Funds and Health in Pregnancy grants. Families with two or more children may then be feeling the ‘sibling squeeze' on their finances.
Almost half (45 per cent) of the parents who don't return to work after their second child are taking at least five years off work. These five years potentially cost over £125,000 in lost earnings, even before taking into account the additional cost of supporting the second child.
"As any parent will know, children have a huge financial impact on a family - and this can sometimes mean double trouble when a sibling comes along,” said Louise Colley, head of protection marketing for
Aviva.
“This is why protecting the family is so important, perhaps even more so when there are more mouths to feed.
"If a parent gives up work, this often means the family needs to tighten its belt financially. Unfortunately, as a result, life insurance can be overlooked, but the consequences of having no cover in place can be huge - especially for a family already relying on just one income.
“Should the worst happen, having to return to work to generate an income and cover childcare costs could be a tremendous strain. Life insurance can cost as little as £5 a month and could ensure child care fees are taken care of and - more importantly - replace some or all of the lost income."
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