ABSTRACT
The growth of interest in, and demand for the provision of child care in an era of declining fertility rates might seem to be paradoxical, but it is not (see Becker, 1981, for an economic analysis of fertility rates). The demand is generated primarily by the increase in the paid employment of mothers of young children; mothers with one or two children are more likely to work outside the home than mothers with larger families. The increase in the paid labor force participation of women-and particularly, in recent years, of mothers of very young childrenrepresents one of the most striking social trends of the late twentieth century in North America. This trend has many origins: the effects of the increasing urbanization of society on employment opportunities and on household needs, demographic factors, increased economic and financial pressures, and changes in attitudes toward work and family (Krashinsky, 1977; Kitchen, 1990). There is considerable evidence that many women are seeking employment as a response to economic insecurity: responding to high levels of inflation to maintain their families’ standard of living; attempting to pull their families’ income above the poverty line or toward some other level considered more adequate; dealing with the possibility of divorce, separation or widowhood; and providing for pension support during old age (Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women, 1984).
