Childcare provision for parents

Importance of social network intermediaries
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As well as formal intermediaries all parents are consulting personal social networks
to some degree in the childcare decision process. These can range from mums and
partners to much wider groups including mother and baby groups, Facebook friends/
acquaintances and online forums.
Some parents put a huge amount of
emphasis on the views of their social
networks particularly if they are believed
to share the same value system.
Others find navigating the opinions of
friends difficult as childcare is a very
personal and sometimes quite revealing
decision about parental philosophies
and values.
“ I actually liked getting
advice and information from
acquaintances more than friends
– it was less emotionally charged
and less of a political minefield!
It’s difficult as everyone is
making very different choices
and it’s quite a lot of pressure”
Mum,
Husband
Example 1
Facebook acquaintances
Friends (local, other)
Relatives (local and other)
Mum,
Husband
Mother and baby groups / NCT
Example 2