Most mothers reject home role to go back to work

MOST mothers - including nearly half with children under five - have turned their backs on the role of home-maker to go back to work, according to official figures released yesterday.

As a result seven out of 10 of all parents of babies and toddlers rely on childcare, according to the Office of Population, Censuses and Surveys.

Preliminary findings of its 1991 General Household Survey - based on interviews with almost 10,000 households and 20,000 adults - also show 47 per cent of mothers with children under five are in work or seeking work - a leap of 20 per cent on 1973 and a 2 per cent rise on 1990. And more mothers with children over five are also working.

Part-time jobs have the greatest appeal among mothers with very young children. Numbers working full-time have risen from 7 per cent in 1973 to 13 per cent; while part-timers have increased from 18 per cent to 29 per cent over the same period.