Census 2011: fewer women staying at home to raise children Four years on from the previous census, that figure has dropped even further to 10 per cent, the Daily Mail reported. "There is an assumption that all mothers are desperate to work," said Patricia Morgan, a family researcher: But the evidence that is available says they would mostly rather be at home looking after their children, and go back to work when the children are older. Ministers have made it a priority to provide cheaper day care to help mothers back into work. Proposals to ease the cost of nursery places could include parents being given tax breaks for childcare. Aides to David Cameron and Nick Clegg are discussing plans that could allow up to a third of childcare costs to be made tax-deductible, potentially saving families thousands of pounds per year. Ministers are also considering relaxing the restrictions on childminders to enable them to care for larger groups of children. The government believes this could help increase the supply of affordable childcare places and encourage more mothers to return to work. A report last year from the CARE charity found that married couples where the mother stays at home face a tax burden 42 per cent higher than the average tax level in developed countries.