AIBU to think a big reason to birth rate is falling is because mothers are made to feel they must do more for their children than in previous times?

Even families don't get social housing in 2025.

We can't afford to fund better state education, we already have more over 65 yr olds than under 15 yrs olds.

I think it’s because women are now somehow expected to be perfect mothers and homemakers while getting on with life and work like they don’t have children.

I was shocked at the attitudes to a recent post I did (from men and women!) that if a woman ‘chooses’ to get pregnant no allowances should be made, including tiny things like just getting a priority seat on the tube!

I would like that. Very much.
But would people have more children because of improved state schools?

I'll have a go (as a barren woman):
Be pregnant, give birth, recover, breast feed, nappies, teething, maternity leave (for around year meaning lack of career progression), nursery, potty training, pick ups, bigger house and mortgage, bigger car, school, playdates, birthday parties, pets, Christmas😱
bigger house, monitoring internet access, designer crap, uniform, detention, make-up, phones, TEENAGERS🤯, periods, condoms, that discussion 😳 about sex, drugs, alcohol (the last one not necessarily for them) vaping, bullying, mums taxi, exams, more bloody exams, all night parties, driving lessons, university or apprenticeships, jobs...

You can see now why I took the cowards way out and let others replicate for me...

ETA I know I've missed a lot (my cousin had to make an Easter Bonnet), but there's only so much I can type in one go.

Maybe thats because you dont get a social housing house UNLESS you have kids.

Plenty of people with dc are on waiting lists.

I think you need a degree today if you are supposed to support a family.

We should want an educated population though & without children/new blood societies stop progressing & evolving.

Maybe thats because you dont get a social housing house UNLESS you have kids. If you are child free by choice as i am all you will get is a one bedroom flat or possibly just a bedsit now.

World is also more global now so dc are competing with dc from all over the world.

I actually don't think they were. I was at primary school in the 90's and remember there being loads of events where parents attended/made outfits etc etc. I think the difference is that a lot of the mums didn't work or worked part time. Whereas now more families have two working parents so who is free to go to all the events.

The birth rate is declining very rapidly in almost every single country in the world, every religion, every ethnicity, every race, every culture. It’s declining amongst women of all political persuasions, all levels of education, and all income levels. The decline is happening in everything from progressive countries with strong womens rights to extremely oppressive, totalitarian countries who give women little to no rights.

There are countries who have trialed extreme measures to increase the birth rate - everything from taxing childfree people heavily to incentivise them to procreate to wiping out student loans for mothers to giving free houses to mothers to severe income tax reduction for parents to offering obscenely generous childcare and maternity provisions. Not one of these things has had even the slightest impact on stopping the declining birth rate. It’s had no effect at all.

More and more women don’t want kids anymore. It’s not down to one reason but a multitude of reasons - economic reasons, cultural reasons, increased industrialisation and access to education, changing tastes and values, opportunity costs, dating landscape and quality of prospective male partners changing drastically, future prospects, politics, increasing womens liberation in developing and underdeveloped countries, cost of living, living further away from parents and friends… So many variables causing the decline.

There are a multitude of reasons leading to the declining birth rate.

The reason you stated in your OP is just one of very very many. I wouldn’t even say it’s close to the primary reason, as it’s birth rate decline is happening just as rapidly in cultures/countries/ethnicities that have a completely different parenting and child-rearing style to the one you describe in your OP.

Not always true. DD1's nursery place fell through a couple weeks before I was due back at work. My mum and my MIL both cut their hours at work to each have her 2 days a week. And subsequently each had DD2 1 day a week. And are only too happy to help out after school/weekends/school holidays.

My grandmother on the other hand moaned at being asked to look after my brother for a few hours so my Dad could take my mum to hospital to have me, and only looked after is once a year so my parents could attend my Dads work Christmas do. They had absolutely no interest in us.

Lack of affordability is the main reason , closely followed by women actually having a choice.

Birth rates have been declining almost everywhere in the world. The main reason is the improvement of women’s rights, which enabled access to contraception and the legalisation of abortion. Consequently more women are educated and have joined the workforce. Raising children requires both money and time, and with more women working, it has become more difficult to balance these demands. Therefore the decline in birth rates compared to the 1960s can be seen as a natural phenomenon.

One is bloody lovely. I promise. I did slow down in work when dd was younger but I've got going again now and my career is taking off again. Dh is hands on in every way and we're having a ball.

@TheJoyOfWriting I don't think the degrees were necessary but if companies demand them for a CV sifting purpose want can you do? Don't forget companies don't invest in staff so much these days which is one reason productivity is so low.

I don't agree, I am still working full-time (was single parent to four) I have my DGD every week overnight take to school, pick up from after school club, repeat. I do it to help my DD1 as she needs to travel for work, but also because I love spending time with my DGD. All my friends help out if they live near enough with GC.
I think birth rate going down maybe down to more choices with contraception, what ppl can now do with their lives etc. I helped out with my nephews and nieces from being really young and knew I wanted a big family, my kids only want 2 kids max although they love having a close knit bigger family.

@Allswellthatendswelll but voters won't go for that so we are stuck.

What I think doesn't matter.
You just show as parents.