The respondents to Aviva’s survey include the parents of the so-called Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980), Generation Y (born between 1981 and 2000) and the most recent Generation Z (who have birthdates from 2001 to 2014). By analysing their responses, it is possible to map the shift in parenting over the last fifty years.
The percentage of families with a mum who is a full-time homemaker has almost halved between Generation X and Generation Z, from 62% to 34%. Over the same period, the percentage of families who rely on two full-time incomes has doubled from 11% to 22%. Breadwinning is shared more equally and female breadwinners are on the increase in many UK families. The number of families where both parents are equal earners is also increasing.
The use of childcare is growing while over the last five years childcare costs have risen by 27%, meaning that parents pay £1,214 more in 2014 than they did in 2009. Despite these increases, the percentage of families that use no childcare at all has fallen dramatically. While 60% of Generation X parents did not need to use childcare for their children, just 33% of Generation Z said the same. A quarter of Generation Z parents use nursery-based childcare, compared with 10% of Generation X parents.
Unpaid childcare, generally from grandparents, has risen as well. Nearly a third (29%) of Generation Z parents rely on grandparental childcare, compared with 22% of Generation X parents. In 2011, Aviva research suggested UK grandparents were providing £33 billion of free childcare each year. However, the tradition of using grandparents as a source of free or cheap childcare may be under threat, given the rising retirement age. Recent ONS statistics show that one in 10 people aged over 65 has a job, up from one in 20 in 1993. The state pension age is due to rise to 67 in 2028 meaning that fewer grandparents may have the leisure time to help their children care for their families.
Although 70% of mothers still take on the main task of looking after the children, this has dropped from 83% (Generation X), while over a quarter of families have parents who share the childcare equally. Only 15% of Generation X parents did the same. As house prices have increased and it has become harder to get a mortgage, the percentage of families in rented accommodation has also grown. After dipping to 10% for Generation Y parents, it has risen sharply to 18%.
Aviva’s report reveals that most families believe that recent changes to working patterns, legally enshrined parental leave and the ability to work flexibly, are broadly positive things. Six out of 10 parents across all generations feel that today’s parents are lucky to be able to combine their family life with working, despite the cost of childcare and other pressures this can bring. More than three quarters (77%) of parents now feel that fathers are more hands-on with their children than they were in previous generations, while 80% feel that today’s fathers are lucky to have more opportunities to spend time with their children.
Sources: www.aviva.co.uk (Media Centre: 2014/07/16)
