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The typical weekly childcare bill in Northern Ireland is the highest in the UK, trade unionists have said.<\/p>\nThe typical weekly childcare bill in Northern Ireland is the highest in the UK, trade unionists have said.<\/p>\n
A total of \u00a346.50 (\u20ac52.15) per week is spent in the region compared with \u00a331 in England.<\/p>\n
Families use \u201csubstantially\u201d more paid hours than any other region, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) said.<\/p>\n
It said increasing women\u2019s access to decent employment should be a key aim of a comprehensive childcare system.<\/p>\n
Owen Reidy, ICTU assistant general secretary, said: \u201cWe need to start looking at investment in childcare as a vital form of infrastructure, as important for the economy as investment in construction or roads.\u201d<\/p>\n
Families in Northern Ireland use substantially more paid hours than any other UK region, a report by the trade unionists said.<\/p>\n
At 15 hours, the median number of hours in Northern Ireland is 50% higher than any other UK region.<\/p>\n
The median household spends \u00a33.10 (\u20ac3.48) per hour and uses 15 hours per week combining for an average weekly spend of \u00a346.50 (\u20ac52.15). This compares with \u00a331 (\u20ac34.77) in England.<\/p>\n
The report added: \u201cThis is in addition to the fact that Northern Ireland has the highest proportion of households paying for childcare of any region.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis means that Northern Ireland households are not only more likely to pay for childcare, but when they do, they are also more likely to use significantly more of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
It identified a \u201cmotherhood gap\u201d responsible for earnings differences between men and women.<\/p>\n
Women with dependent children were overrepresented in part-time employment, compared with men with or without dependent children and women with no dependent children, the report said.<\/p>\n
They were also more likely to be in temporary employment and much less likely to be self-employed than men with dependent children, the research showed.<\/p>\n
It added: \u201cHaving one or more children reduces the female likelihood of being in a permanent, full-time job by almost one-third, with only 45% of females with one or more children working in a permanent, full-time job.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fewer than one in three women with no dependent children worked part-time.<\/p>\n
This compared with almost one in two women with dependent children who were employed on a part-time basis.<\/p>\n