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The number of babies being born in England and Wales has reached its lowest point since the 1970s, according to official statistics. The fertility rate, which measures the number of children born per woman during their child-bearing years, is now at 1.44 – a record low. The rate in Scotland is slightly lower, at 1.3. Fewer adults are planning on having children, and declining fertility rates can be attributed to many issues, including the high cost of raising children, career pressures and a lack of suitable partners.
The BBC recently spoke to two men and two women in their early thirties about their thoughts on the subject of fertility. The first person, Ellie Lambert from Sheffield is concerned about the high cost of raising children. She has frozen her eggs at a cost of £18,000 for two cycles, and may go it alone via sperm donation if she doesn’t meet a suitable partner. For Ellie, dating has become “fruitless.” She sees the endless options available on dating apps as a hindrance, along with the reluctance of some people to commit.
A Wakefield couple, Chris Taylor and Gemma Wrathmell who earn a joint income of £60,000, have considered having children. However, they have concluded that they cannot afford it given the high cost of a child’s upbringing. After years of having a contraceptive implant, Gemma has decided to forgo it. Chris plans to get a vasectomy. They are both convinced that parenthood is expensive and would be detrimental to their finances.
One of the two women interviewed, Dami Olonisakin, a sex and relationships podcaster, knows that motherhood is not an easy task. Childcare expenses are rising, and maternity leave policies are limited. So she’s taking time to think about it and focus on her career, rather than feeling rushed into a decision. She also wants to have a supportive partner in place before having children. Another woman, Kari Aaron Clark, a senior research fellow at the Royal Academy of Engineering, earns £53,000 but feels that she and her partner could not afford to raise a child in London. Instead, Kari Aaron Clark is considering adoption as it would be a way to help a child already struggling in the system.
The UK has a similar trend to most countries in the world struggling with declining
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