The UK’s Baby Shortage (and the Government's Plans to Fix it)

Over the last few decades, the UK's birth rate has been slowly dropping, and now half of women in England and Wales are childless by their 30th birthday. So in this video, we drill down into the data, why it's a problem and how Sunak plans to address it.

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[Paladiea]

Imagine telling people that they shouldn't have kids if they can't afford it for decades and then scratching your head over why no one is having kids.

[trickvro]

Millennials were absolutely bombarded from all angles throughout our entire formative years by the message that you shouldn't have kids if you can't afford to raise them. Now everyone's upset because we took that advice.

[SuperBararo]

Housing. People aren't going to start a family in a student flat or while they still live at their parents. People still have relationships but it'd be unwise to start a family if you have no place to raise one in the foreseeable future.

[Smorans]

I have two young boys, I’m in my early 30’s and my husband is almost 40, in order to house, feed and clothe everyone, my husband and I both work full time. He works a reasonably well paid 9-5 and i work a not quite so well paid nightshift job as a factory supervisor. I’m also studying part time for my Masters degree. My quality of life is frankly awful. I’m constantly tired and have no social life at all, i have no time fir hobbies, I can’t recall when i last read a book. I love my family and they are worth all the struggles❤ but I don’t blame anyone for not wanting my life.

[davetherave]

WE ARE TOO WORRIED ABOUT PAYING RENT TO HAVE CHILDREN!!!!

[Youssii]

Many “breeding age” adults now live in a single room in a shared flat. Who’s going to bring a child into that?

[Mitjitsu]

It's mainly caused by two things.

1. People not having a home of their own
2. Lack of decent stable jobs. Making it hard for a person to support 2 people.

[CordeliaWagner]

People were told you can't raise kids in an appartment, only in a house in the nightmare called suburbia.
People can't afford buying a house, so they stay in their appartments. Childfree, enjoying their lifes.

[peterclarke]

We already know it won't work. Japan has tried all these things, with no success.

Because the underlying problems: insecure jobs, high rents, both parents having to work because wages are too low etc, still exist.

[rononel]

A friend said to me "It's great that we've started to look at the childcare cost issue, but wouldn't it be better to make it affordable for a new family to live on a single income"

[thomashavard-morgan]

As a millennial, when you can't get on the property market, or afford a basic standard of living, why on earth would I ever consider having a child.

[InsideBoxingBrain]

My parents bought a 3 bed house in 1992 for £7k in 2023, 30 years on that house is worth £200k, My dads wage at the time in 1992 was £25k per year, My salary in 2023 £35k per year ... how on earth is my generation supposed to buy homes and raises a family if im going to spend the rest of my life paying of my student loan and living at home.

[lorrygoth]

If only governments actually valued people instead of seeing them as a resource to exploit.

[eveeybean]

My partner and I are 29 and 27, university educated with stable, average-wage jobs, we rent a flat together and we're in a stable long-term relationship. We would be the prime demographic for starting a family, and it is something we would like in the future, but realistically there is just no way we can justify it right now when you factor in the cost of childcare, loss of earnings, the risk of our landlord selling up, the rising cost of food and energy. We as healthy adults can afford to not put on the heating and get under a blanket, a small child cannot. It's ironic that the government will demonise the poor and tell people not to have kids they can't afford, and yet are suddenly shocked and surprised when that is exactly what happens.

[R]

Maybe I'm being too traditional, but I feel like what parents need is not more childcare from other random people, it's the ability to spend time with their children and raise them, instead of having to leave them alone in the day time to work. The problem is not that parents don't have enough childcare. It's that they don't have enough *money*. We need to fix the economy if we want to encourage actually happy, well-adjusted kids, and decrease the number of hours the parents (as a couple) have to spend working in order to provide for them.

[omerjawhar]

As biology states, organisms mate when the environment is suitable for offsprings to survive and thrive

[beveryamazed]

This is one of the things that frustrates me with people who are older and/or more conservative leaning. They put the population decline down to selfish millennials not wanting to commit while it is millennials who are paying a high tax burden for those who have retired or are about to. Millennials and Gen Z don’t have the financial and social resources afforded by their parents and grandparents

[Grassmonster]

If I were still of childbearing age, I wouldn't even consider having children now. I wouldn't be prepared to work full-time, farm my children out to someone else and try to juggle what little time I have left in the day trying to shop, clean, cook and look after my children just to provide the government with the next generation of workers. I stayed home until my children were of school age because I wanted to spend time with them - this isn't a possibility for most people now. Then there's the issue of what kind of future is in store for children born today - little to no chance of ever owning their own homes, crippling financial pressures, a declining standard of living and the threat of climate breakdown. Maybe the powers that be need to start looking at us as people instead of viewing us as a stock of breeding draft animals.

[Nasherrrzzz]

I can say this from experience as somebody who has left the UK to Finland, with the total cost of the UK being a significant factor. Taxes may be lower than rest of Europe but as the saying goes you'll get the money pulled out another way. The issue with the UK is the taxes provide no value. Childcare costs full-time are 1k minimum PER MONTH. Add to that housing, I was looking at a place in reading, central enough where I would not need a car, easily was looking at 1400/ month (pre energy crisis). Public transport costs are a joke also. Generally the quality of all these services is quite poor also. Take nursery for instance, facilities are lacking, staff shortages and the nurseries have to charge extra to you as a parent to bridge the gap between these 'free hours' the government offers.


As a UK citizen it's pretty shocking that our kids start is so well as truly not supported. I don't even pay that much more in taxes in Finland than I did in the UK and the value and quality is clear to see. I pay 295 euro a month for my child full-time and the quality is amazing. I actually am saving more money now than I did when I didn't have a child.

[sarahjames]

Remember when we were young and wanted to be an adult. Biggest scam in existence.