Effect of Child Care Costs on Women's Involvement in the Labour Force: Evidence from Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya

Abstract

Women's participation in childcare and the workforce is currently a significant topic of scientific
interest and policy significance. However, the availability of child care facilities has not kept pace
with the rise in mothers with small children, especially in less developed countries. Reliable data
about the correlation between Kenyan women's labour market participation and childcare expenses
are lacking. Cultural barriers make it impossible to extrapolate these findings to a country like
Kenya, despite some evidence from the US and Europe suggesting a positive correlation between
women's labour force participation and child care expenses. Therefore, the aim of this study was
to ascertain the degree to which child care expenses impact a woman's decision to engage in the
workforce in Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya. The rational choice hypothesis served as the
foundation for this study. According to the County Development Plan for 2018–2022, the survey
reached 24,000 mothers with infants and toddlers spread over 577 daycare centres. The study
employed a descriptive research method. A total of 384 participants were selected randomly to
participate in the study. The quantitative information gathered from questionnaires was examined
using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results showed a significant relationship between
childcare expenses and women's labour force participation