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Table 4 Current childcare practices

From: A descriptive study to explore working conditions and childcare practices among informal women workers in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: identifying opportunities to support childcare for mothers in informal work

 

All Mothers N = 247 (%)

Domestic Workers

N = 77 (%)

Informal traders

N = 170 (%)

Mother was working when child was born?

198 (80.2)

65 (84.4)

133 (78.2)

Mothers working when child was born:

N = 198 (%)

N = 65 (%)

N = 133 (%)

Working in their current job at time of birth

186 (93.4)

58 (89.2)

128 (96.2)

Mother took time off when the baby was born

174 (87.8)

58 (89.2)

116 (87.2)

Means of support among mothers who took time off when the baby was born:

N = 174(%)

N = 58 (%)

N = 116 (%)

Child support grant

84 (34.0)

32 (41.6)

52 (30.6)

Father supported

66 (26.7)

26 (33.8)

40 (23.5)

Other family member supported

46 (18.6)

14 (18.2)

32 (18.8)

Savings

95 (38.5)

38 (49.4)

57 (33.5)

Other

21 (8.5)

10 (13.0)

11 (6.5)

Age of the child when the mother returned to work

 Not working at the time of birth

49 (19.8)

12 (15.6)

37 (21.8)

 Did not take any time off

24 (9.7)

7 (9.1)

17 (10.0)

 Less than 1 month

4 (1.6)

1 (1.3)

3 (1.8)

 1 to < 2 months

18 (7.3)

3 (3.9)

15 (8.8)

 2 to < 3 months

37 (15.0)

10 (13.0)

27 (15.9)

 3 to < 4 months

60 (24.3)

26 (33.8)

34 (20.0)

 4 to < 5 months

32 (13.0)

11 (14.3)

21 (12.4)

 5 to < 6 months

10 (4.1)

5 (6.5)

5 (2.9)

 More than 6 months

11 (4.5)

1 (1.3)

10 (5.9)

All Mothers

Person who usually cares for the child while mother is working

 Childs grandmother

65 (26.3)

16 (20.8)

49 (28.8)

 Childs father

1 (.4)

1 (1.3)

0

 Childs sibling

8 (3.2)

2 (2.6)

6 (3.5)

 Other relative

29 (11.7)

13 (16.9)

16 (9.4)

 Non relative

52 (21.1)

19 (24.7)

33 (19.4)

 Mother herself (takes child to work / works at home)

70 (28.3)

15 (19.4)

55 (32.4)

 Child not living with the mother

22 (8.9)

11 (14.3)

11 (6.5)

Place where child is cared for while mother is working

 At mothers current residence

98 (39.7)

28 (36.4)

70 (41.2)

 At the carers home

35 (14.2)

13 (16.9)

22 (12.9)

 At a crèche or school

22 (8.9)

10 (13.0)

12 (7.1)

 Mother takes child to work

70 (28.3)

15 (19.5)

55 (32.4)

Mother pays for childcare

71 (28.7)

29 (37.7)

42 (24.7)

Water source at the place where the child is cared for

 Piped – inside the house or yard

102 (41.3)

37 (48.1)

65 (38.2)

 Piped – outside the yard

41 (16.6)

13 (16.9)

28 (16.5)

 Other

12 (4.9)

1 (1.3)

11 (6.5)

 Do not know

1 (0.4)

0

1 (0.6)

 Brings child to work; water available

82 (33.2)

26 (33.8)

56 (32.9)

 Brings child to work; water not available

9 (3.6)

0

9 (5.3)