will you have another baby if the two child limit is scrapped?

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I’m just curious what the results of this would be, if you could have another baby financially due to this being scrapped, will you?
before it becomes a benefit bashing thread, remember the majority of people claiming do work. Keep it civil and polite please 🙏
Im done having kids and I can see why they want it to be scrapped with the cost of living issues.

It wouldn’t affect me but if I was in that position then absolutely not.

I’m not saying it does or doesn’t, I haven’t mentioned birth rates as a whole. I’m talking on a micro level, not a macro level. We know the wealthier you are the smaller your family will likely be (statistically) it’s hard to look at national birth rates to commentate on state benefits.

It would be interesting to know how many MPs who voted for the cap in the first place, and who are invested in scrapping it, also think it's for child benefit.

Given how many on here, and in certain sections of the media, think the "two child benefit cap" is a cap on child benefit, I'd bet there are some MPs who have voted without realising what it actually relate to.

Of course it does.
Bloody grim.

Nor do I. But I also think people shouldn’t have large families they can’t afford. There’s a difference.

Its the whole cost of bringing children up, it’s more than just nusery costs, Its the financial cost as example driving lessons, insurance , university or housing them if they choose an apprenticeship option.

Our 22 year old is still living at home, due to rental costs is very unlikely to move out in the near future. Which means we can’t downsize and save on the mortgage costs. They are saving and been lucky once graduated to get a grad role - but the stress of the job market not all of her friends have been so lucky.

It breaks my heart when I see a parent, saying we can’t afford to support our child’s choice to go to universities as COL has had impacted the whole family budget but only entitled to minimum loan or a single parent fearful of loosing the child UC element when their child’s choice/wishes to go to university.

There will be some that may have more children, but eventually they grow up and that extra money disappears with them, but the bills stay the same. Putting them in a very vulnerable position.

@rzm where is the evidence people are having large families they can't afford? The birth rates & family size (which has shrunk) don't support that at all

We not doing enough as successive governments keep kicking the can down the road - with NHS demands and social care costs - because it costs money and is unpopular with voters.

We'd done some like raising retriement ages etc - we could do more.

Japan's dsepite it's healthy aged population is rapildy reaching crisis points - though they could use immigration to help.

Governments tend to think short term - demographcis are a long term thing. If it gets to the point governments notcies large numbers of young are leaving they'll do some thing at that point. TBH there some concern we have a young brian drain going on now masked because we are importing lower educated immigrants in same age range and it's masking falling numbers - hard to know if that a real problem or a one made up by poeople with agendas or how big a a worry it is.

But I agree MN seems oddly unworried about demographic changes heading our way - and oblvious to how widespread they are. Democratic governments mostly focus on election cycles with some long term plannning thrown in - and other types of government often have other issues as well.

@CatHairEveryWhereNow All I can think of is the average MNs is quite old. I don't mean that offensively but there are a lot of users in their 60s so likely have a very different viewpoint. It terrifies me tbh because things are not going to improve for some time, if ever. Higher taxes, Higher COL, etc is the future.

And like you said long term
solutions which will need to be cross party.

They didn't remove child benefit for the third child. They haven't touched CB.

The cap is for UC

Firstly, I’m not old. I’m not even 40, I had my children in my early 20s. I live in a deprived area.

Secondly, if you want to look at stats that are meaningful for this discussion you can’t rely on national stats looking at median levels, you need to look specific stats and in areas of high deprivation. Yes there are large families in poverty in the UK.

@rzm can you link to stats that show poorer people have more dc?

Can you provide stats that say people on this thread are older and that’s why they disagree with you? Or is it only your self righteous opinion that doesn’t require to be illustrated with facts and figures?

Oh i completely agree! We have three who are much older but it is so expensive.Nowadays there is no way we would have done. Its a shame that so many people can't afford to even have one child. What has happened to cost of living is a travesty.
Had I known I will be having them live here for seemingly forever I also would have thought twice! I do love them but 22 year olds should be having fun and causing mayhem not in my eyeline!

I have a few adult friends from bigger families whose parents are always saying how they'd never have been able to manage it today.

This.
If there’s money to spare, spend it directly to benefit the children please.

Can you provide stats that say people on this thread are older and that’s why they disagree with you? Or is it only your self righteous opinion that doesn’t require to be illustrated with facts and figures?

@rzm are you confused?

A poster asked a question and I replied leading with "All I can think of" why on earth would you infer that to mean I am stating a fact?!

The difference is you have claimed people are having more dc than they can afford which is what i asked for evidence of. It's ok to be wrong 😆

Fuck no, we have one and twins so already get child benefit for a third. That £21 a week that we have to pay back anyway doesn't go very far.

No I'm done having children 4 is enough for me.
The benefit cap never stopped me having the last 2.

You’re twisting my words, are you trying to imply that every mother having a 3rd plus baby in this country can afford it? It is well known (but feel free to do your own research, this is a discussion forum not a university assignment that I need to prove to you) that the more educated and well off a woman is the fewer children she will likely have (statistically speaking). But you’re pulling this away from the context of my posts.

This.

Secondly, if you want to look at stats that are meaningful for this discussion you can’t rely on national stats looking at median levels, you need to look specific stats and in areas of high deprivation. Yes there are large families in poverty in the UK.

The cost of living that happened in last 5 or 6 years does make it harder on larger families and wasn't really predicted prior to that.

Plus my city is considered socially economically deprived but has expensive neighbourhoods and okay one and bad ones. The whole city has a higher than surrounding area birth rate - and it's not the poorest families driving that up it's all the neigbourhoods and social economic groups as house prices are more afforable than surrounding cities so can buy big enough houses for families- many then commuting to more expensive cities either side for work.

It is driving slowly house prices up here pushing locals out but that was happening in my part of the midland in my childhood and to DH part of midlands in his 20s. This was one of the few affordable places to buy for us when we looked to move here - there were compromises but we got a much nicer house.

Because the prior system was based on a growing population and a much smaller aged population/population on benefits (the change is largely driven by age demographics) where the large working population's taxes could therefore pay for the costs of supporting the people not paying taxes.

It's absolutely nothing to do with child benefit though .