Our Ageing Population
By Raisingkids.co.uk Editor, Catherine Hanly
Is the solution to our ageing population as simple as having more kids? We look at the issues surrounding pro-natal policies.
Recently, Professor Bill Ledger from Sheffield University, called Europe’s low birth rate ‘a threat to the future’. What did he mean? Well, over the last thirty years, the proportion of the UK’s population aged 65 and over increased from 13 to 16%. That may not sound like much, but it’s enough to get politicians, academics and economists extremely worked up.
What it means in practice, is that the working population is shrinking. Up until now, we’ve enjoyed an inverted pyramid whereby a large working population supported a relatively small retired population. But if current trends continue, there will be fewer people working to support a greater number of retired people. For us parents, that means later retirement, and stretched pensions and overworked public services when we do retire. For our children it’ll mean having to carry the burden of an older population.
 Where are the baby boomers?
One of the main factors behind the ageing population trend is that a large section of our population born in the baby booms after the second World War and during the 1960s is now approaching retirement. As a nation, we’re not having enough babies to make up for this; in general, women need to have two or more babies to maintain a stable population.
Kids cost a bomb!
One reason often cited for the lower birth rate is the perceived or actual expense of having children. ‘The
government is punishing us for having children,’ bemoaned one parent on our forum recently. ‘It’s a real
struggle,’ said another of the increasing cost of childcare. Rising house prices have also played their part,
delaying the point at which young people set up their own households which in turn delays their starting a
family. And while some of our members point out that no-one would have children at all if they stopped to
think about the financial implications, it may be that financial constraints mean we have less children than we
would otherwise like. The annual news stories of how much it takes to raise children from cradle to campus
(£160,000 at the last count) don’t help matters much!
Have more babies...
Professor Ledger urges European governments to look to the models of France and Norway – which espouse
pro-natal policies, with some degree of success.
The more the merrier
French parents enjoy a number of financial incentives to have larger families – including 16 weeks' maternity
leave on full pay and generous family allowances. In France, having three or more children qualifies you as a
‘famille nombreuse’ which entitles you to discounted travel, help with accommodation costs and a discounted
or zero rate of income tax. From concerns over a decreasing birth rate ten years ago, the French are now
enjoying a massive baby boom – the birth rate rose 5% in 2001 alone.
It’s a similar story in the Nordic countries where family-friendly policies including shared parental leave of a
year at 80% salary and subsidised childcare are reflected in Sweden and Norway’s high fertility rate in
comparison to other European countries.
Could it work here?
It would be a big decision for any political party to take and a cultural leap for the British to accept political
influence in an area which has traditionally been a private matter. But perhaps the prospect of working until
we’re well into our seventies may go some way to persuade people it’s a step worth taking.
Wake up Westminster
Having said that, some feel that financial incentives don’t go far enough. Professor Philip Rees from the
University of Leeds, has a more radical suggestion – that we link the amount of pension we receive to the
number of children we have. The more children you had, the greater the pension package would be. ‘We have
to restablish that [connection] between having children and financial support in old age,’ he says.
What do you think?
We’d love to hear what Raisingkids.co.uk members feel about this subject – take part in our forum by clicking
here.
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