Irish Wedding News
17/12/2013
Almost seven million grandparents provide regular childcare for their grandchildren, a new poll published by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has revealed.
It also said that the most popular reason for the childcare is to allow the children's parents to work.
The YouGov poll, which has been published as part of the TUC's Age Immaterial investigation into women over the age of 50 in the workplace, found that 58% of grandparent - nearly three in five - provide regular childcare without the child's parent or parents present. This equals to almost seven million grandparents across Britain looking after their grandchildren who are under the age of 16.
Interestingly, some 45% of mums and dads agreed that the main reason for asking grandparents to look after their children was so they could continue to work.
In a statement, the TUC said the informal care provided by grandparents is saving working families thousands of pounds a year on costly nursery and childminding fees. It is also helping parents to stay in work and continue their careers.
Elsewhere, the survey discovered that working grandparents are 63% more likely to look after their grandchildren than retired grandparents (55%). It added that this role is often not recognised or understood by employers.
For example, of working grandparents who have never taken time off work to care for grandchildren under 16, around one in 10 have not been able to do so because they have either been refused time off by their employer (3%), or simply felt that they were unable to ask (8%).
Currently, grandparents are only entitled to take short periods of unpaid leave in an emergency, but the TUC has said it now wants grandparents to have a greater entitlement to unpaid leave so that they can combine childminding with their career.
Some 46% of grandparents polled agreed with the above suggestion, with 26% opposing; this compares to 50% of parents who supported the plan while 21% were opposed.
Commenting on the findings, TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady said: "The informal childcare that millions of grandparents regularly provide is one of the most important and unheralded forms of care in Britain today.
"The childcare provided by grandparents allows mums and dads to work, saves them money on nursery and childminder fees, and creates a special bond across different generations in a family.
"But with more people than ever before working into their late 60s, millions of grandparents are selflessly taking on childcare responsibilities for a second time while they still work.
"It's important that public policy catches up with the needs of working grandparents and their families. A new right to unpaid leave would be a great way to get more working grandparents involved in childcare, and at very little cost to an employer."
Chief Executive of Grandparents Plus, Sam Smethers, added: "Family life is changing and it's time that government and employers caught up.
"We risk a 'childcare gap' emerging – with parents paying the price – if grandparents cannot afford to reduce their hours or can't get the flexibility they need."
(JP/MH)
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7m Grandparents 'Provide Regular Childcare'
Almost seven million grandparents provide regular childcare for their grandchildren, a new poll published by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has revealed.
It also said that the most popular reason for the childcare is to allow the children's parents to work.
The YouGov poll, which has been published as part of the TUC's Age Immaterial investigation into women over the age of 50 in the workplace, found that 58% of grandparent - nearly three in five - provide regular childcare without the child's parent or parents present. This equals to almost seven million grandparents across Britain looking after their grandchildren who are under the age of 16.
Interestingly, some 45% of mums and dads agreed that the main reason for asking grandparents to look after their children was so they could continue to work.
In a statement, the TUC said the informal care provided by grandparents is saving working families thousands of pounds a year on costly nursery and childminding fees. It is also helping parents to stay in work and continue their careers.
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Elsewhere, the survey discovered that working grandparents are 63% more likely to look after their grandchildren than retired grandparents (55%). It added that this role is often not recognised or understood by employers.
For example, of working grandparents who have never taken time off work to care for grandchildren under 16, around one in 10 have not been able to do so because they have either been refused time off by their employer (3%), or simply felt that they were unable to ask (8%).
Currently, grandparents are only entitled to take short periods of unpaid leave in an emergency, but the TUC has said it now wants grandparents to have a greater entitlement to unpaid leave so that they can combine childminding with their career.
Some 46% of grandparents polled agreed with the above suggestion, with 26% opposing; this compares to 50% of parents who supported the plan while 21% were opposed.
Commenting on the findings, TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady said: "The informal childcare that millions of grandparents regularly provide is one of the most important and unheralded forms of care in Britain today.
"The childcare provided by grandparents allows mums and dads to work, saves them money on nursery and childminder fees, and creates a special bond across different generations in a family.
"But with more people than ever before working into their late 60s, millions of grandparents are selflessly taking on childcare responsibilities for a second time while they still work.
"It's important that public policy catches up with the needs of working grandparents and their families. A new right to unpaid leave would be a great way to get more working grandparents involved in childcare, and at very little cost to an employer."
Chief Executive of Grandparents Plus, Sam Smethers, added: "Family life is changing and it's time that government and employers caught up.
"We risk a 'childcare gap' emerging – with parents paying the price – if grandparents cannot afford to reduce their hours or can't get the flexibility they need."
(JP/MH)
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