UK Birth rate at highest in Europe.

[Pubey]

I don't think it's ever financial optimal to have a kid/start a family - surely you just make do?

I'm with Naps, telling people not to have kids because they're not wealthy is crazy talk. Many 'poor' people provide perfectly for their kids.

 

[DTS]

At the risk of being labelled a racist I think you will find that the Muslim population has a typical of approx 5 children per family where as the "white" family have approx. 1.8 children per family/

I don't know any Muslim family's to comment but I can say of my friends who are general mid 30's they all have two kids. I only know maybe one couple that we see that have three.

As other posters have said I would have liked more on one hand but then I want to spend quality times with the kids and make sure we can afford to have good times with them and I am not sure I could have done that with 3/4/5 kids.

 

[Pubey]

At the risk of being labelled a racist I think you will find that the Muslim population has a typical of approx 5 children per family where as the "white" family have approx. 1.8 children per family/

I don't know any Muslim family's to comment but I can say of my friends who are general mid 30's they all have two kids. I only know maybe one couple that we see that have three.

As other posters have said I would have liked more on one hand but then I want to spend quality times with the kids and make sure we can afford to have good times with them and I am not sure I could have done that with 3/4/5 kids.

Don't think pointing out clear statistical differences between racial groups makes you a racist at all, I think it's easy to see that Muslims will have different attitudes to family/female work etc. A Muslim friend from uni is a successful solicitor but has now jacked it in to be a stay at home Mum and start a large family. Her husband might not be particularly happy about that! (on the one hand, anyway).

 

[pickledseal]

I'm sure Catholic families are often statistically bigger too.

 

[Berrichonne shrimper]

I'm sure Catholic families are often statistically bigger too.

Thats just because your god made them that way.
My wife and i have 5 children but its ok because we can afford two of them so they take turns in eating,one day on one day off.

 

[DTS]

I'm sure Catholic families are often statistically bigger too.

Found this on you tube and it does not really support that. However its obviously very biased.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jA3hP_NERM

 

[OldBlueLady]

Sorry, this is rubbish as well. Since when should finances come into it. Children need love and support not luxuries and purchases.

Who was talking about luxuries and "purchases"? In my opinion, it's obvious that finances should come into it, why should the State provide for something that YOU want but can't afford? Most families have to tighten their belts or make some astute investment planning when it comes to raising kids, it's about taking responsibility.

We have Child Benefit and working tax credits to assist, plus the family can rally round when nursery costs are restrictive and a lot of companies, such as my own, allow flexible working.

Question - would/do you expect your family "to rally round" on a regular basis? When I went back to work full time, I paid my mum to assist with childcare. My son was with a childminder 3 days a week and with my mum 2 days.

I considered that to be the fair thing to do, I don't know how many others do though? You see countless grandparents out with their grandkids, shopping and doing ordinary things.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

I am not sure that the Catholic idea is correct otherwise Italy and Spain would be top of the birth rate lists.
Also the Muslim idea is maybe a bit inaccurate in that it is probably largely first generation immigrants of any race or religion; and historically the new migrants have had more kids as often they have migrated for security, a better (for them) life style , they have poorer birth control knowledge, their own traditions of larger number of kids (as in many 3rd world countries) and also a wanting to build some roots in their new country.
These social trends are thought provoking & IMO poorly reported in the tabloids with ignorance and intolerance promoted rather than education and understanding towards any problem solving.

 

[MK Shrimper]

Question - would/do you expect your family "to rally round" on a regular basis? When I went back to work full time, I paid my mum to assist with childcare. My son was with a childminder 3 days a week and with my mum 2 days.

I considered that to be the fair thing to do, I don't know how many others do though? You see countless grandparents out with their grandkids, shopping and doing ordinary things.

No, our parents are too old to take care of a toddler (especially my mum who's about 80 miles away!), but Z's mum has said that if she was younger, she would have taken Izzy whilst Z is at work, as she did almost 14 years ago now for the other kids in the family.

I wouldn't expect it at all.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

At the risk of being labelled a racist I think you will find that the Muslim population has a typical of approx 5 children per family where as the "white" family have approx. 1.8 children per family/

I don't know any Muslim family's to comment but I can say of my friends who are general mid 30's they all have two kids. I only know maybe one couple that we see that have three.

As other posters have said I would have liked more on one hand but then I want to spend quality times with the kids and make sure we can afford to have good times with them and I am not sure I could have done that with 3/4/5 kids.

It's not a race thing but a class thing.

Poorer, less educated families are statistically likely to have bigger families.

 

[OldBlueLady]

It's not a race thing but a class thing.

Poorer, less educated families are statistically likely to have bigger families.

And they are the least able to afford it hence the burgeoning benefit and tax credit bill!

 

[Firestorm]

And they are the least able to afford it hence the burgeoning benefit and tax credit bill!

But the biggest strain on the welfare state is the increase in the elderly (almost half is pensions alone)
http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/jan/08/uk-benefit-welfare-spending

Maybe Logans run was a fair call.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

It's not a race thing but a class thing.

Poorer, less educated families are statistically likely to have bigger families.

But this sort of pattern can change over time.

Both of my (working class) parents came from large families (about eight brothers or sisters in each case,IIRC).

Whereas, of their three sons, I'm the only one to have had (two) kids.

 

[Jam_Man]

But this sort of pattern can change over time.

Both of my (working class) parents came from large families (about eight brothers or sisters in each case,IIRC).

Whereas, of their three sons, I'm the only one to have had (two) kids.

Id have a guess that you are more educated than your parents?

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

But this sort of pattern can change over time.

Both of my (working class) parents came from large families (about eight brothers or sisters in each case,IIRC).

Whereas, of their three sons, I'm the only one to have had (two) kids.

I'd hesitate to use anecdotal evidence to back up statistics, but your better educated brothers having smaller families than you is exactly the type of thing the statistics suggest.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Id have a guess that you are more educated than your parents?

Certainly in terms of qualifications.(I think you mean better,btw).

I'd hesitate to use anecdotal evidence to back up statistics, but your better educated brothers having smaller families than you is exactly the type of thing the statistics suggest.

Ha! We're all graduates and I actually worked for my postgraduate qualifications (unlike my Cambridge educated brother, who was awarded an honourary MA).:raspberry:

 

[Jam_Man]

Indeed so that certainly follows the pattern.

My parents however remained working class and had 3 children compared to the 6 their parents both had, so nothing to do with a change in class there, more to do with change in society.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

Indeed so that certainly follows the pattern.

My parents however remained working class and had 3 children compared to the 6 their parents both had, so nothing to do with a change in class there, more to do with change in society.

The education reforms introduced under the Butler Education act of 1945, by the post-war Labour government, made access to secondary and higher education much easier and more affordable for bright working-class children.

This enabled many people,myself and my two brothers included,to escape from a traditional working class background.

My father was a builder, as was my paternal grandfather.I spent a couple of school holidays working on a building site,as did my younger brother.Presumably,without the benefit of higher education, that's where we might have ended up.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

education? class? income? aspirations? security? maybe even pessimism and optimism about the way society is moving all plays a part in it?
However it is a bit worrying as this island seems a tad crowded and multi-cultural disharmonious at times.

 

[Sandbach Shrimper]

It's ok though, because the Express has definitely identified the problem and this definitely isn't your typical brand of middle-class bait scaremongering - http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/42...aby-boom-One-in-four-now-born-to-foreign-mums

This wouldn't have happened if Diana was still alive. She would've kicked them all out, single-handedly, whilst defusing a landmine.

From the statistics it's quite clear that immigration is the main factor behind this population growth, not just immigrants coming here, but then settling and having families. I appreciate that's not the only factor - people living longer and chavs having 5 kids to 5 different dads are also contributors. My mum works in the newborn screening unit at Southend and has noticed a huge increase in the number of mums from outside the UK in the last few years. The country is overcrowded, that's why we keep having to knock down leisure facilities or build on green land to build housing. It's not good for the country. Maybe we should give some of our babies to Germany, they have a low birth-rate crisis.