Editor's view

As if low pay and status were not big enough problems in retaining nursery staff, a surprising and intriguing finding from new research by the Thomas Coram Research Unit highlights another reason why it's so hard to attract new entrants to the childcare sector and keep existing workers (Special Report, pages 10-11). The study of more than 2,000 workers and students showed that many had a firm desire to be stay-at-home mothers once they had their own families. These women revealed a great reluctance to contemplate using childcare other than relatives for their children. They also believed that employment should...