The workforce participation rate of women with dependent children affects demand for childcare services. Since the 1960s – and more broadly, since the end of World War II – there has been a consistent increase in the number of women working and looking for work in the United Kingdom. Increasing female workforce participation tends to correlate very closely with two-income families, as historically most families have followed the traditional model of father as breadwinner. As this shift has occurred, there has been a growing realisation of the importance of providing childcare opportunities to parents in stimulating and sustaining economic growth.

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