Stay-home mums and their kids 'more likely to be poor'

The children of stay-home mothers are almost three times as likely to be poor as those whose parents both work, an early childhood conference will hear today.

OECD economist and social policy analyst Willem Adema will also tell the Early Childhood Council's annual conference that mothers who interrupt their careers to care for children are at higher risk of poverty when they are older.

The findings are from Dr Adema's Babies and Bosses study which looked at work and family life in 13 OECD countries.

It revealed that the "clear gap" in New Zealand was after-school care.

Although there were organisations to provide care, there was no central system, such as in Sweden and Denmark. Recently, the UK and Australia had also made it a priority, Dr Adema said.

"For some reason, and it's not clear why, it is not happening here."

Netherlands-based Dr Adema said early childhood education, paid parental leave and policies such as Working for Families were positive moves, but after-school care was key in helping parents back into the workforce.

It was inexpensive and would enable parents who wanted to work to do so.

The study showed that many New Zealand mothers found it impossible to balance commitments to both family and employment and so had fewer children or none at all. Alternatively they left the workforce altogether and were often left in poverty or close to it.

"Declining birth rates and ageing populations will soon result in a shortage of workers so increased female participation in the labour force will be crucial to maintaining national living standards," he told the Herald.

At the conference in Rotorua today he will say that the Government, employers and fathers all need to do more to help women who hold down jobs and bear most of the parenting responsibility.

Dr Adema said childcare problems would be eased if both parents took time off work to care for children.