Data from the National Longitudinal Survey show that most employed mothers rely on relatives for child care, particularly low-income mothers. Weekly expenditures averaged $45 for older mothers to $60 for younger mothers. Lower-income women were more likely to have gaps in employment because of child care problems. (SK)

Five major factors are responsible for the daycare industry increasing at a faster rate than the number of working mothers: growth in numbers of children under six, family changes causing decreased care by relatives, government funding, tax credits, and private initiatives, such as corporate and nonprofit-sponsored daycare. (SK)

Data collected about working mothers found that 20 percent more mothers worked in 1984 as worked in 1970; most mothers work full time; 56 percent of children under 18 have working mothers; and in 6.2 million families, the mother is the sole support of the family. (CT)

This paper presents a survey of the number of mothers with children under age 17 who were in the work force in 1976. The paper surveys various factors which influence these statistics: age of children, socioeconomic factors, ethnic and racial characteristics, family size, family income and the availability of child care services. The statistics…