A Green Party Senator has said the home care tax credit does not go far enough in the wake of new research about the value of home-makers.

A new study from Royal London Ireland estimated that stay-at-home parents carry out labour worth approximately €57,000.

On Newstalk Breakfast Green Party Senator Pauline O'Reilly said the study can be looked at from two different angles.

"One is - how much are you saving by staying home and caring for your children?" she said.

"The other is how much is the value of what you're doing in monetary terms.

"I think it’s really important to value stay-at-home care whether or not it’s saving money - certainly at the moment, it does because of how expensive childcare is in particular."

A father does his daughter's hair, Alamy

Senator O'Reilly said the current tax credit for stay-at-home parents does not go far enough.

"The home care tax credit is supposed to take into account somebody who stays at home but it’s just under €2,000 a year, you have to be married, it goes to your partner, not to you the person who is caring at home," she said.

"I don’t think that is the correct approach – I do think there should be an allowance but there’s only so much money in the public offers."

Childcare costs

Senator O'Reilly said the cost of childcare in Ireland drives some parents to stay at home.

"There should be a public model of childcare, in my view - it should be far more affordable," she said.

"A lot of [stay-at-home parents] only do it for a couple of years," she said.

"It's very, very difficult financially, but people still make that choice."

Senator O'Reilly said eliminating the cost of childcare would encourage stay-at-home parents to rejoin the workforce.

Feature image shows a woman and child playing at home, Alamy.