Excerpts
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Faced with sudden lack of childcare
According to data from the German Youth Institute (DJI), a little over half of parents living in Germany require external childcare, and of those only 33% report that their local childcare options cover all the hours they need to work. Especially mothers are turning to their last resorts when childcare centers are operating under reduced hours or closed entirely due to illnesses and staff shortages.
Kohlrausch's research, which surveyed some 900 families from across the country and in all social demographics, showed that 54% of respondents were faced with a sudden lack of childcare. For 30% of the affected parents, this meant reducing working hours, while 42% had to turn to friends and relatives to cover the gaps. For immigrants and lower-income families, the latter is often not an option.
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Billions are lacking to fund adequate childcare
Kohlrausch's research also highlighted the fact that "unreliable childcare tends to exacerbate the unequal distribution of care work between men and women and thus gender-specific patterns of distribution and care and gainful employment. This also stands in the way of higher labor force participation among women."
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Women shouldering more of the burden
The gap is also uneven between men and women. According to the WSI study, 73% of men in the affected partnerships said their female partners had stepped in to take over childcare when daycare was unavailable, compared to 39% of women saying the same about male partners.
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