Nurseries are almost a quarter empty, according to the Times' lead today. It is, the paper says, the first evidence of an end to the "have-it-all" generation of women combining work and bringing up a family. Instead, mothers are choosing to look after their children.
"The ideal of a woman juggling a full-time career with the demands of motherhood is going out of fashion as a new era of flexible parenting rights takes root," the paper says.
At least a million parents - at this point the Times doesn't distinguish between mothers or fathers - have taken up their right to request part-time work instead of leaving their young'uns to return to work full-time.
According to today's report, there were 160,000 nursery vacancies last year, or 22.5% of what's on offer. That's nearly double the 11% vacancy rate in 2002. The paper also says that the total number of nursery places has doubled since 2002.
At this point, the Wrap begins to wonder if this particular set of statistics is a reliable foundation upon which to base sweeping generalisations about societal shifts. If there are so many more spaces, is it that surprising that there are more vacancies?
The Times, in a curious attempt to shore up its case, adds that the "aspiration for women to juggle their lives came from Nicola Horlicks". The financial expert "explained her superwoman philosophy" in a 1997 book in which she wrote that she timed her children's conception so the maternity leave would coincide with Christmas.
The final sentence of the story points out that, despite the excess capacity, child care fees remain "stubbornly high", costing London parents on average £168 a week. But the Times doesn't explore the implications for parents considering returning to work.
