Howard Flight States the Obvious
Howard Flight has been quoted on the BBC as saying this.
We’re going to have a system where the middle classes are discouraged from breeding because it’s jolly expensive.
“But for those on benefits, there is every incentive. Well, that’s not very sensible.
I could also add to the first part of his statement, that young children stop you going on those long-haul holidays, as every one needs a ticket. As to the second part, it may or may not be true, but I think it probably isn’t.
On that issue though I refer you to Peoplequake. which shows that unless there is adequate provision for flexible working and a female-friendly society, the birth rate falls drammatically. Just look at Italy, Russia and Iran for a start.
The Anonymous Widower 
My own observation is that many couples now have only one or two children, and if they have two, they are often spaced so that they dont have two children in nursery care at the same time, because of the cost of it – unless on parent stays home on extended maternity leave of several years, in which case they have two very close together indeed.
But I live in an area where most couples are professionals, and many delay parenthood until 30+.
The house next to us was bought by a “buy to let” person, when it went on the market it didnt sell because it had a tragic background, so he got it cheap. This means we have had a series of short term tenants. Some have been great, some havent. The last lot had ELEVEN childre, aged 4 to 20, they were not a “reconstituted family”. The father did work, the mother didnt, and none of the older children worked. With child tax credit and child benefit for the 8 who were still at school even with one parent in work they will have been getting a lot of benefit.
In some ways, I think there should be a limit on the number of children you can claim child benefit on – four would seem reasonable.
Comment by liz | November 25, 2010 |