THE HEALTH-EFFECTS OF DAY-CARE

Recent decades have ushered in the most substantial shifts in the composition and structure of Australian families seen in this country's history. Fertility rates have declined dramatically, from an average of 3.4 children per woman in 1960, to 1.8 children per woman in 1990. Twelve per cent of children are now raised in single parent homes, and the labour force participation of women with children has increased significantly. Thirty‐two per cent of mothers with children under 5 years of age now work outside the home, and this has resulted in a growing demand for supplemental child care. Copyright © 1991, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved