Childcare and the employment gap
Does wider childcare participation accompany a smaller employment gap?
25/27 countries paired. Missing or withheld: Spain, France.
Why are these countries excluded?
- Spain: Source marks a different definition or low reliability (d)
- France: Source marks a different definition or low reliability (d)
Greece: X 23.70, Y 17.40. Paired-country medians: X 35.50, Y 7.10. EU27: X 40.50, Y 9.60.
Country pattern
X: Children under 3 in formal care, at least 1 hour/week (%)
Y: Male minus female employment rate, ages 20–64 (pp)
Dashed lines are unweighted medians of paired countries, including Greece.
Association and sensitivity
Spearman ρ: -0.487. Leave-one-country-out range: -0.568 to -0.440. Descriptive only; no significance or causal verdict. Results depend on year and cohort.
Counterexamples to a simple story
Countries in median quadrants opposite to the proposed pattern, not a statistical rejection: Germany, Estonia, Croatia, Cyprus, Malta, Netherlands, Austria
Exact country values
| Country | Year | Children under 3 in formal care, at least 1 hour/week (%) | Male minus female employment rate, ages 20–64 (pp) | x_flag | y_flag |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 2025 | 48.00 | 7.10 | ||
| Bulgaria | 2025 | 22.10 | 7.40 | ||
| Czechia | 2025 | 7.90 | 10.70 | ||
| Denmark | 2025 | 67.20 | 6.20 | ||
| Germany | 2025 | 26.20 | 6.80 | ||
| Estonia | 2025 | 34.80 | 0.50 | ||
| Ireland | 2025 | 27.00 | 9.00 | ||
| Greece | 2025 | 23.70 | 17.40 | ||
| Croatia | 2025 | 32.50 | 5.00 | ||
| Italy | 2025 | 35.50 | 19.10 | ||
| Cyprus | 2025 | 42.40 | 10.10 | ||
| Latvia | 2025 | 45.10 | 1.90 | ||
| Lithuania | 2025 | 43.80 | -0.60 | p | |
| Luxembourg | 2025 | 56.40 | 6.80 | b | |
| Hungary | 2025 | 21.10 | 8.10 | ||
| Malta | 2025 | 55.90 | 12.40 | ||
| Netherlands | 2025 | 66.50 | 7.60 | ||
| Austria | 2025 | 30.90 | 6.80 | ||
| Poland | 2025 | 21.00 | 11.30 | ||
| Portugal | 2025 | 57.90 | 5.40 | ||
| Romania | 2025 | 11.10 | 18.70 | ||
| Slovenia | 2025 | 60.30 | 4.90 | ||
| Slovakia | 2025 | 1.80 | 8.70 | ||
| Finland | 2025 | 43.20 | 1.30 | ||
| Sweden | 2025 | 59.60 | 3.90 |
Greece through time
Separate observed levels, not a pooled time-series correlation. Flags remain visible; a break does not establish a continuous trend.
Children under 3 in formal care, at least 1 hour/week (%)
Male minus female employment rate, ages 20–64 (pp)
Exact historical values
| Year | Children under 3 in formal care, at least 1 hour/week (%) | Male minus female employment rate, ages 20–64 (pp) | x_flag | y_flag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 10.60 | 26.20 | ||
| 2010 | 8.10 | 24.80 | ||
| 2011 | 19.00 | 22.70 | ||
| 2012 | 19.70 | 20.10 | ||
| 2013 | 14.50 | 19.50 | ||
| 2014 | 12.80 | 18.80 | ||
| 2015 | 11.40 | 18.60 | ||
| 2016 | 8.90 | 19.50 | ||
| 2017 | 20.50 | 20.20 | ||
| 2018 | 40.90 | 21.60 | ||
| 2019 | 32.40 | 20.70 | ||
| 2020 | 21.50 | 19.40 | ||
| 2021 | 32.30 | 19.80 | ||
| 2022 | 29.10 | 21.00 | ||
| 2023 | 29.60 | 19.80 | ||
| 2024 | 28.90 | 18.80 | ||
| 2025 | 23.70 | 17.40 |
Look beneath the averages
Children under 3 in formal care for at least 30 hours per week
14.20 · 2025 · .
Share of all children under 3, not share of children already in care. Different population from the gender employment gap.
Persons outside the labour force, and wantig to work due to caring responsibilities
0.40 · 2025 · .
Persons outside the labour force, and wantig to work due to caring responsibilities; freq=Annual; reason=Care of adults with disabilities or children; sex=Total; age=From 20 to 64 years; unit=Percentage of total population
Eurostat · 2026-10-25