Having babies no longer a preferred ‘lifestyle choice’


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So claimed The Sunday Times in a recent article about falling birth rates by Bryan Appleyard. It seems that the Office of National Statistics has just reported that the average number of children produced by British women has just dropped to 1.66, a significant decrease when compared to the average figure of 2.4 children some thirty years ago.

We are not the only country to demonstrate falling fertility rates - many others in the developed world are showing the same trends. There is serious concern over why this is happening - apparently it is not just simply the result of more readily available contraception, but a rational choice based on the growing reluctance of the babies of the baby-boomers to make the so called ’heavy personal sacrifices.’

The Sunday Times also reports what sociologist Laurie Taylor and his son, Matthew - a director of the Institute for Public Policy Research - found when they looked more closely into the underlying reasons for this sea change in human and family values. Apparently it seems we are becoming a race that sees itself as consisting of a series of finite beings by virtue of the socio-economic conditions in which we live. The article quotes the Taylors as follows: ’In a meritocracy, it becomes increasingly difficult to regard our offspring as inheritors of our power and positions in society, as beings who will carry on the name of the family.’ Their conclusion is equally as chilling: ’Having children in today’s world is counter-intuitive’.

However Mr Appleyard does go on to refute that our urge to procreate is diminishing, pointing to the fact that many families are comprised of larger numbers of children than ever, citing the Blairs as an example. He also makes the point that perhaps people today are more being more cautious for good reason, saying, ‘Many of the children of the baby boomers are turning out to be highly conservative. Unlike their radical parents, they want their society to work and they want to have stable careers. It is possible the children will prove smarter than their parents and begin to rediscover the continuities that sustain our culture.’

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