A UN report has said that working mothers are risking their children's future health and happiness by using low-quality childcare.
Toddlers could suffer psychological harm and do badly at school according to the UN experts.
Aggressive behaviour learned by some children at nurseries could lead to classroom disruption later.
The study for Unicef, the UN's child welfare agency, is the first major international report to warn of the dangers of the drive to get mothers back to work. Unicef said this development was a 'high-stakes gamble with today's children and tomorrow's world'.
The authors of the Unicef report said that countries should be judged for the way in which they treat children and working mothers. Unicef said new parents should get a year's leave from work with half their usual salary. England, the report said, ranked mid-table among wealthy countries. Failings included low staff-to-infant ratios in nurseries, lack of health services for children and high rates of child poverty.
Unicef said that although childcare can bring educational and social benefits, lack of close contact with parents 'can make it more difficult for the child to regulate his or her responses to the world'.
The report added that the longterm effects may include depression, withdrawal and inability to concentrate - all leading to under-achievement at school.
It said: 'Concern has also been expressed about whether childcare may weaken the attachment between parents and child, and whether it may not be putting at risk the child's developing sense of security and trust in others. Doubts have also been raised about possible long-term effects on psychological and social development, and about whether the rise of childcare may be associated with a rise in behavioural problems in school-age children. The younger the child and the longer the hours spent in childcare the greater the risk. In particular, long hours of childcare for those under the age of one year is widely regarded as inappropriate. Inadequate care at this most critical of all stages may result in weak foundations and shaky scaffolding for future learning; and what is true of cognitive and linguistic skills is also true of psychological and emotional development.'
Unicef said that the return of mothers to work across the Western world was a cause for concern as much as it was a victory for women's equality.
A report from the same UN agency last year found that family breakdown, drink, drugs, teenage sex and fear of violence have made British children the worst off in the wealthy world.
December 2008 | 
Conjoined Twin Faith Dies
