Abstract
Objective: we explore migrant-native differentials in the uptake of formal and informal childcare and whether this is induced by lower demand for childcare versus differential access to (in)formal childcare compared to natives.
 Background: The rise in female labour market participation in recent decades has challenged parents to negotiate work and family responsibilities and organise childcare. Belgium is among the European countries with the highest availability of formal childcare, but maternal employment and uptake of childcare are substantially lower in migrant populations.
 Methods: Combining linked microdata from the 1991 and 2001 censuses with contextual data on childcare availability at the municipality level, we use multinomial logit models to study childcare use and type of childcare arrangement among parents having a young child in 2001. As access to childcare and maternal employment are mutually endogenous, we use estimated employment opportunities.
 Results: We find considerable migrant-native differentials in childcare use, as well as substantial differences between first and second generation migrants. Second generation mothers of Turkish, Moroccan and Eastern-European background are less likely than natives to use childcare, and more likely to rely on informal arrangements if childcare is used. Controlling for socio-demographic characteristics and differential availability of (in)formal childcare largely accounts for differences in childcare use, but Turkish and Moroccan women remain less likely to use care and first generation Turkish mothers remain more likely to use informal care as opposed to formal childcare.
 Conclusions: While differences in socio-demographic characteristics, labour market opportunities and availability of (in)formal care provide a partial explanation, partial migrant-native differentials in childcare use persist for specific groups, suggesting that other factors inhibit the uptake of formal childcare.
Highlights
Belgium is among the European countries with the highest availability of formal childcare, but maternal employment and the uptake of childcare are substantially lower among migrant populations than they are among native Belgians
We find that migrants, and non-European migrants, were less likely to use a care arrangement than natives; and that these differences extended into the second generation
We find that controlling for differential employment opportunities explains a substantial share of the variation in migrant-native differentials in formal childcare uptake
Summary
While previous research for several European countries has shown that migrants are less likely than native-born parents to use formal childcare, knowledge about the extent of migrant-native differentials in formal childcare uptake by country of origin or migrant generation is still lacking, and the literature that has addressed the potential causes of these migrant-native differentials remains very limited. It is worrying that the groups who might benefit most from formal care seem to use it less. It is, crucial to gain insight into the mechanisms that underlie this pattern. Crucial to gain insight into the mechanisms that underlie this pattern To address these issues, this paper will investigate the extent of migrant-native differentials in the uptake of formal and informal childcare in Belgium, distinguishing between migrant mothers and second generation mothers with a migrant background, from different countries of origin. Belgium is among the European countries with the highest availability of formal childcare, but maternal employment and the uptake of childcare are substantially lower among migrant populations than they are among native Belgians
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