Britain and other developed countries are facing record-low birth rates as fewer people have children, have them later or decide not to become parents, according to observations highlighted by crossbench peer Camilla Cavendish in her new book, Generation Maybe.
The UK’s overall fertility rate has fallen to 1.39 children per woman, while the figure given for white Anglo-Saxon British women is 1.1. The replacement rate needed to keep a population stable is 2.1 children per woman.
The decline is not confined to Britain. Cavendish argues that a trend which began in the West has spread across the world, with China, Japan, Russia, Colombia and Italy among the countries recording very low birth rates.
She has compared the scale of the demographic change with the Black Death, while asking why people are increasingly reluctant or unable to start families and what might be done about it.
Britain’s falling birth rate and the ‘romance famine’
One explanation is what Cavendish describes as a “romance famine”: growing difficulty, or reluctance, among couples to form committed relationships. Dating apps, with their instant decisions to accept or reject potential partners, are identified as one influence, alongside the proliferation of online pornography.
The trend cannot simply be blamed on women prioritising their careers, as has often happened in discussions about falling birth rates. Some women have delayed motherhood because they have struggled to find a partner willing to make a long-term commitment.
Fertility treatment has trebled over the past 30 years as women have increasingly become mothers later in life. The average age of a new mother in the UK is now 31.
Economic pressures are another factor. Cavendish points to the rise of “greedy” jobs, which she describes as unstable, poorly paid and unsuited to the demands of raising a young family.
Wider political and economic uncertainty is also contributing to pessimism among younger people. Concerns about artificial intelligence, climate change and the prospect of conflict have led some to question whether bringing a child into the world is sensible.
The falling number of births has consequences beyond individual families, affecting the future size and make-up of populations. The decline has been recorded even in countries with traditionally strong religious and family cultures.
The trend has prompted concern because children are seen as essential to maintaining hope for the future, yet the practical and emotional demands of parenthood can make the decision appear increasingly difficult.
