A childcare expert has supported a call from the Social Development Minister Paula Bennett to debate whether single parents are being pressured to return to work.
Ms Bennett, who was given the portfolio last week, is a single parent who has been both a beneficiary and a working mother.
She says being a stay-at-home parent is still a very demanding job and she wants to see more talk about making it easier.
Ms Bennett's stance is a marked shift from Labour's policies which aimed to encourage women back into the workforce.
Early Childhood Council chief executive Sarah Farquar says centres sometimes deal with parents who do not want to put their children into a child care centre but feel they have no choice.
She said they would rather see parents having options.
Ms Bennett says its too early to talk definite policy but she wants to gauge the ideas of New Zealanders.
