Gen Z parents more Likely to pause careers due to child care costs, KinderCare survey finds
New findings from KinderCare Learning Companies' fifth annual Parent Confidence Index indicate that Gen Z parents in the USA are more likely than older generations to consider halting their careers due to the lack of affordable and accessible child care.
The national study, conducted with The Harris Poll, highlights the significant impact of child care on career decisions for young parents.
The survey shows that 51% of Gen Z parents are concerned about having to step back from their careers to focus on parenting, compared to 43% of Millennials and 35% of Gen X parents. Among working Gen Z parents, childcare benefits are the top reason for staying at their current job, followed by paid time off (PTO) and health insurance.
Paul Thompson, CEO of KinderCare, stated:
"It's clear that Gen Z is going to do things differently by prioritising their family over their career: something employers must consider when attracting and retaining the next generation of employees.
Every family deserves access to high-quality child care, whether that's in their community or at their workplace. That's why we work with employers across the country to provide employer-sponsored child care benefits and advocate with local lawmakers to support early childhood education."
The data also reveals that the rising cost of child care is influencing career and family planning for Gen Z parents. 67% of Gen Z parents know someone, or themselves, who wishes they could be in the workforce but finds the cost of child care too prohibitive.
Key Findings from Gen Z Parents:
66% reported that piecing together enough child care coverage is a significant source of stress, compared to 59% of Millennials and 47% of Gen X parents.
64% ranked child care benefits in their top three reasons for staying at their current job, compared to 52% of Millennial and Gen X parents.
54% indicated that the cost of child care is a main reason for not having more children.
52% feel their family cannot currently afford child care.
