To think it’s uncommon to both work full time with small kids?

Would love to go back part time but we can’t afford it - no subsidised childcare here until 3, even with the increased childcare bill reducing my salary by 20% or more means we would be struggling to keep up with the cost of living every month. It’s close but every £ is needed at the moment as much as I wish I could stay at home. Even 5 years ago we would have managed for me to drop to 4 days on our current salaries.

Childcare is £240 more a month for 5 days instead of 4, I would lose out on £440 a month if I dropped a day. The difference covers our council tax.

We did after first child, it was hard going but I went part time after second after realising we just could not balance it.

At that point I also realised that actually knew no one where both parents both full time with one than one child ( young children) . I guess it depends where you live etc, which probably has a knock on effect with childcare. I do know a few people who work full time ( 35 hours) but compressed hours. I work nearly that in my 3 days for 3 days pay ( teacher but that is a completely different story !) Job flexibility probably impacts whether you can both be full time.

https://ifs.org.uk/sites/default/files/outputurll_files/BN234.pdf

This one also interesting. I found part time 4 days harder in a work context although obviously the time off was great.

My partner worked full time - no option for any flexible working either. So with my first I went back full time. I had to find a new job and there were no part-time posts. After my 2nd 3 years later (I waited to qualify for mat leave) I returned 4 days a week but mostly because my eldest was starting school. Nursery and afterschool fees would have killed me and found school hours so much harder to cover . So actually glad I did it that way round had built up my career to be able to go part time and now work flexibly from home.

ilostat.ilo.org/blog/women-with-young-children-have-much-lower-labour-force-participation-rates/

So 77 percent of mums with dependent children are doing some work but clearly not granular enough to factor in how many hours, region etc.

Most people I know work full time.

www.wbg.org.uk/publication/women-and-the-labour-market/

There must be uk level data on this - in my area, it looks anecdotally as though a lot of SAH and PT work but clearly that's a luxury choice.

Surely this will depend hugely on a) both partners’ earnings and b) both partners’ hours.

If you both work 35-40 hrs a week then staying full time is a lot more manageable than if one or both of you works in a job where “full time” can be 80+ hrs on a bad week and 50 hours on a good week.

Conversely those 50-80 hr jobs are often well paid (City professionals eg) so there is less financial need for both partners to stay full time.

Some of my circle work part-time but some work full-time. I had to work full-time, because we needed to pay our bills.

I worked PT from when oldest was born (3 then 4 days) but now oldest is in year 3 and youngest settled in reception I’ll be upping to FT. With flexible working though so I can do 50% of school runs (with other 50% being mix of ASC/ breakfast club and grandparents). I’ll be using unpaid parental leave to have more time off in the holidays with the kids.

flexible working is key, my husband works FT and has never missed a school event.

for Under 5s statistically the most common family arrangement is one parent FT and one PT. I know plenty of families with both parents FT, they all seem to make it work.

It would be more interesting to see the poll results split by area because I suspect it will differ.

My maternity leave friends mostly went back 3.5-4 days a week. Except a teacher who did full time term time only.
we were all older mums over 35 with professional jobs that allowed flexible working. Most of us went back ft as the children reached school age.

Not normal here either. Everyone in my nct group except me went back full time, as did all my friends from outside church.

My church friends are much more likely to be sahms.

I know two Dads who do most of the childcare but they had extremely flexible jobs and were self employed before having children.

I work full time most of my friends with kids work part time. My DH does 4 days a week.
DHs friend circle most women end up becoming SAHM.

It doesn't matter what any other family does, you do what's best for your family. Whether you work FT for financial or career development reasons, or choose to go PT to spend more time with your children or save money on childcare, it's entirely up to you.

I worked FT, but had to as I'm a single mum. If I had a choice I would have worked PT, but it wasn't an option. Looking back, the number of mums working PT, or not at all, was the majority but it was all a mix and everyone just got on with it, doing what suited them.

I wouldn't say it's uncommon

It really depends on your income level/your circles income level.

High earners will often return to work full time and outsource childcare/cleaning etc. or they can manage on one wage.

Low earners often need two wages so will juggle everything . But sometimes it's not affordable for both parents to work full time.

Middle earners tend to lean towards 1 ft 1 pt as it's often the most economical way to manage.

Most of my friends worked part time when kids are under 5.

@JustMarriedBecca has it spot on . 4 days but really working 5

In my circle all the mums I know from friends, family, NCT (except 2) went back part time ranging from 2.5-4days per week. All in professional jobs- teaching, law, medicine. I never went back ft after my dc were born 13 years ago. My wages have increased though so I've always felt better off as the years have gone by.

We used breakfast and after school clubs as did most of the parents of DT’s classmates.

Legal sector here.

most are full time. Some do 4 days

amongst my friends in other sectors I’d say it’s 50/50 FT or 4 days. I don’t know anyone who does less

Why does being in the south make a difference?
I'm in the north and we both work full time as do many of my friends and social circle.

I work about 2 1/2 days a week, my partner works a 9-day fortnight. I expected there to be more part-time mums around but actually in our area most women have gone back full-time after Mat leave and have nannies. Thankfully I found some other freelancer/part-timers but it was a lot harder than I expected.

I earn about the same as my partner and could earn twice that if I worked FT, but choose not to.