How the 'postcode lottery' of parenting impacts young children
BBC••world
Key Points:
- Parenting support and early childhood provision in the UK vary significantly depending on postcode and employer, creating a "postcode lottery" that affects families' access to childcare, parental leave pay, and quality early years education.
- Statutory maternity and paternity pay in the UK is relatively low compared to other European countries, with much of the financial support for parental leave depending on employer generosity, resulting in unequal time parents can afford to spend with their infants.
- Take-up of Shared Parental Leave remains low due to lack of awareness and financial considerations, with most claims coming from higher earners, highlighting disparities in who benefits from state-funded parental leave schemes.
- Access to quality childcare is uneven across regions, with affluent areas having more nursery places
