Fertility rates in Britain are dropping, and in particular many couples are delaying having children for as long as possible. One of the key reasons for this is affordability. For many people it is necessary for both partners to work in order to pay the mortgage, or to pay the rent (rents have increased as house prices have gone up). This makes it increasingly difficult for couples to start a family when they are still reasonably young. More and more women are delaying having their first baby until they are in their 30s. And because fertility rates drop off in both men and women as they age, many families are unable to have as many children as they would wish, or have to seek assisted (and expensive) methods such as IVF.
Parents are also encouraged to get back to work as quickly as possible, and housing costs add a further burden which means that for many the option of one parent staying at home to look after children is simply not there. Evidence suggests that putting babies into nursery care can have long-term negative effects, and again people are forced into making difficult choices based on the need to pay the mortgage.
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