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

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