The number of individuals who are economically inactive for family reasons relative to the number of children aged under 4 is high in Estonia (Figure 18). Women gradually start returning to work after their youngest child becomes eligible to start kindergarten at the age of 18 months (Figure 19), but this process has been slowed in the past because of a lack of places. The number of childcare places has recently been expanded to reduce capacity constraints (European Commission, 2016). Also, there are plans to allocate some parental leave to the father on a “use-it-or-lose-it” basis, and labour inspectors have been instructed to ensure that the principle of equal pay is being observed, both of which should encourage greater labour market participation among mothers of young children.