Parents in Northern Ireland are reconsidering having more children because of childcare costs.
"Families should be thriving in Northern Ireland but actually all they're doing at the moment is what they can do to survive," Ms Harper added.Kathleen McCarthy, pictured with her children, said there is anxiety in choosing between working and having children
Caroline Jones from Ballygowan and Kathleen McCarthy from Lisburn both travelled to Belfast to attend Saturday's event. Caroline Jones has two young children in full-time childcare at a cost of £1,800 per month; government support sees this bill reduced by 20% but there are still financial pressures.Image caption,Richie and his partner from south Belfast describe their current childcare situation as "very difficult"."I work with quite a few Scandinavian colleagues who say their childcare costs about £200 per month back home," Richie said.
"With the cost of our mortgage, and the cost of living, it wouldn't make sense for me to leave work. I'm also a lawyer, I've worked really hard to get where I am and I don't want to give up my career," Richie's partner said.
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