Could anything have incentivised you to have more children?

[Echobelly]

Following excerpts from this demented article about how the birth rate might be upped in the UK ('get a telegram from the Queen when you have a third child!'): twitter.com/rhiannonlucyc/status/1543475834769522688

along with the SCOTUS ruling the other week, it got me thinking about how all ideas about how to get birth rates higher seem to involve 'Demanding women give their whole lives to childbearing and giving them a pat on the back for being good breeders' and how it never seems to involve anything that would actually make it easier for women to have children and thrive as full human beings.

I have to say, if there were free or heavily subidised childcare available I would probably have had a third, but I couldn't face that long under the burden on childcare costs (although there is the 'needing a larger car and house' issue as well). Could any subsidy or offer from government have encouraged you to have more children than you are planning/have?

Nothing. I hate being a mum.

No way I'd take the risk of another birth going wrong, even if it wasn't for the domestic drudgery and all round impact on my own aspirations. So, housekeeper, nanny, cleaner and the baby grown in a lab?

Nothing I don’t think. Unless I change my mind I’m very happy with my one.

No, absolutely no way.

Britain is too densely populated. Neighbour wars are commonplace. Many of us live literally on top of each other in high rises. Increasing the birth rate when the NHS can’t provide basic care, schools are full to bursting and most adults are stretched to breaking point (whether that is regarding money, time or both) would be madness.

So if you want me to have another, I’d like my emigration set up and paid for to another country which has its shit together.

A good and kind man who didn’t need parenting on how to parent his own offspring. Parenting with a cunt is the loneliest experience and out me off having another child.

Increasing the birth rate when the NHS can’t provide basic care, schools are full to bursting and most adults are stretched to breaking point (whether that is regarding money, time or both) would be madness.

Err, the NHS is straining because of the older population & the fact social care is failing not because of loads of kids!

Schools are facing closures because there aren't enough kids.

The changing demographic mean adults are doing to be stretched even more.

Nothing would incentivise me to have a third child because I simply don't want one (also I'm fifty).

If you want to know what might work to incentivise couples then you just look at our European neighbours.

Fertility rates:
Spain/Italy - less than 1.3
Poland/Finland/Greece - less than 1.4
Germany/Benelux/UK - less than 1.6
Denmark/Sweden with famously great childcare - less than 1.7
France - 1.83

What do the French do? They calculate your tax allowance based on the number of people in your household. And if you have three children or more then you get genuinely valuable additional
benefits.

thegoodlifefrance.com/how-tax-for-families-in-france-plays-a-big-part-in-life/

The moral is that massive bribery works, but still not enough to take them above replacement rate.

I'd child care was free I'd have had 4 children not 2

If I had a bigger house and more money I would have a fourth child. But I don't, so I won't!

If we look back to when the UK had a higher birth rate, the mortality rate for under 5s was significantly higher - a lot of these kids didn’t survive to adulthood.

Maybe the way to up the birth rate is to reintroduce dysentery and scrofula?

Our infant mortality rate is not where it should be now though?

"The stalling infant mortality rates in the UK should be a “wake up call” for the nation, according to leading paediatricians.
The UK is fifth from the bottom among 27 European countries for infant mortality. The rate stalled in the UK between 2013 and 2018 at 3.9 per 1000 live births. In England and Wales, the rate is more than twice as high in the most deprived areas (5 per 1000) compared with the least deprived areas (2.7 per 1000)."

No

No
one child here, love love love having one nothing will change that. Wouldn’t have more if you paid me

We nearly didn't have our second because I had such an awful birth for the first - really let down by the NHS care I received and avoidably so. Private CS for DC2. There must be loads of women who either can't bear to go through that again or can't afford to go private after that experience. So I'd say better maternity care.

I suppose an interesting question would be, WHO does the government want to have more children? From what I understand, the working classes tend to have more than 2 children in most cases and upper classes are not as concerned with limiting the number of children due to affordability not being a problem.

A lot of (not all) middle class families tend to have 2 children due to quality of life being a big factor (as mentioned upthread). There is a focus on what the parents can provide the DC, e.g. good quality housing with space, holidays, a range of activities, potentially even private school.

On that basis then, it would seem that the government should focus on incentivising that group with things such as lower taxes for the more children you have (as in France as mentioned by PP), more flexible working patterns supported by law, more affordable childcare etc for when working etc.

Just a viewpoint- would be interesting to hear what others think. Not saying that this is always the case or what should happen, just putting a discussion point out there

I have fully paid 12 months mat leave and you still couldn't persuade me to have another child! It's about the time and energy I have to devote to them, quite apart from the money.

I have one child but choice and agree with this.

The world is overpopulated, we don't need people having loads of kids. The fewer the better. Yes yes I know the arguments about who will wipe our bottoms when we are in our 90s but we need to look beyond that.

I have two and have absolutely no desire for anymore and never have.

What would help people I think is stop expecting women to work like they don’t have kids and mother line they don’t have a job.

I’m worn out from working full time to keep a roof over our heads and trying to look after my family.

free childcare

TBH if anything is going to incentivise me to not have any more it's the thought of getting a telegram from which ever member of the RF is on the throne...I couldn't care less what with me being a republican.

No. I happily stuck at 1. Finances aren’t an issue and DH is a good father, just didn’t want any more.