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In the modern day, the decision to have children is a controversial one, with 37 percent of people in the UK saying they definitely don't want children.

In the post by MermaidCheeks entitled 'Mumsnet Don't Afford Kids If You Can't Afford It', they write, "Who exactly do this lot think are going to be looking after them in hospitals and care homes when they're elderly and infirm? If only those who could really afford to have kids had them - a decreasing well-off demographic -we'd be even more f***ed than we already are.

"Immigration is not a long-term solution when 80% of elderly are going to be spread across low and middle-affluent countries by 2050, either. Every country is going to need their own citizens. Instead of resenting people who need their wages topped up by the government in order to afford having a couple of kids - maybe embrace those who are making sacrifices to have kids at all, especially in the face of the overwhelming decrease in value that society and successive governments have placed on the role of raising children."

Decreasing Birth Rate

The issue of opinions on who should or should not have children is an incredibly controversial one that very much skims the outskirts of human rights issues. It is true that the birth rate has plummeted in the UK with the Office of National Statistics saying the number of births has decreased for the fifth consecutive year to the lowest levels since 2002, with reasons cited as COVID-19, financial insecurity and general fear and anxiety about the world.

An increasing global population has long been touted as an 'issue' putting added pressure on the environment, and a strain on public resources such as healthcare. Historically, birth rate is one of the things that has bounced back quickly after an event like a pandemic or a war, but this is not the case this time with the economic situation in turmoil, younger people of childbearing age are choosing not to have children. Although the birth rate has declined, the population is still increasing.

Arguably, one of the reasons there has been a steady decrease in the birthrate in the U.S since the 1970s was due to the legalization of abortion in 1973, and with the overturning of Roe vs Wade, it is possible that America will see a big increase in birth rate, and possibly single parent families, putting more strain on resources.

Poverty Rates

More than one in five of the UK population (22 percent) live in poverty, approximately 14.5 million people, and in the U.S the official poverty rate in 2020 was 11.4 percent, 37.2 million people, approximately 3.3 million more people than in 2019.

In an article for the American Psychology Association Dr Lauren Fasig Caldwell says, "Children living in poverty experience the daily impacts that come easily to mind — hunger, illness, insecurity, instability — but they also are more likely to experience low academic achievement, obesity, behavioral problems and social and emotional development difficulties. Increased stress is a known causal factor through which poverty impacts developmental outcomes. Childhood poverty has been linked to academic failure and school dropout and to reduced rates of college attendance and graduation."

An Ongoing Debate

The majority of people voted that the opinion in the post was unreasonable (72 percent). One person in the comments used their own experience to suggest having children you can't afford is not a responsible choice saying, "No, actually. I'm the eldest of four children born to dirt-poor, illiterate parents, who had far more children than they could afford — I grew up counting the days til, pay/dole day, knowing never to ask for second helpings or to bring a friend home after school because the money wasn't there. It was an utterly miserable way to grow up. Your personal right to reproduce doesn't mitigate the effect of poverty on your children."

Another user agreed writing, "I think it's extremely selfish to have more kids than you can afford. Great, more children trapped in poverty. Exactly what society needs."

Some users disagreed with one user saying, "I always ignore the "don't have children if you can't afford the"" brigade. I find it preachy and patronizing" while another agreed, "I'd never have had children at all if I had waited until I could comfortably afford them. Maybe that isn't the entire point of the thread, but it is my take on it and I suspect that I am not alone."

Where does the blame lie? Should parents refrain from having children unless they can provide successfully for them, thinking about the economic and environmental impact? Or should the human right to reproduce be encouraged and governments make bigger strides in tackling inflation, improving the social-economic situation to create a world where opportunities are more evenly distributed? The conversation continues.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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