How do childcare experiences differ by ethnicity and for families with previous childcare access issues?

This is the third in a series of five reports that together use the Growing Up in New Zealand longitudinal survey data to explore how the inability to access affordable childcare affects the long run labour market outcomes of mothers.

This report investigates how the use of and satisfaction with childcare differ for families with different characteristics. Particular focuses are ethnic differences and differences by whether the family previously had issues with access to childcare.

We find strong ethnic differences in the use of childcare at 2 years and 54 months, with Māori and Pasifika being less likely than Europeans to use regular childcare, but using it for more hours each week. Non-European families tend to be less satisfied with their childcare experiences even after controlling for parental characteristics, which may indicate a childcare system that caters preferentially to the European majority.

Families that previously had access issues have lower average socioeconomic status, which is reflected in their childcare experiences, but not all the differences in their childcare experiences can be explained by their background characteristics. This suggests the unseen factors that led to their access issues may affect their childcare even after the access issues appear resolved.

Citation

Isabelle Sin. 2022. How do childcare experiences differ by ethnicity and for families with previous childcare access issues? Motu Note 48