Work and fun versus children

A Guardian/ICM poll released a few weeks ago found that a majority of British men and women think that "doing well at work and earning money count for more than bringing up children".

Sixty four per cent of men and fifty one per cent of women believe that "it is more important for women to enjoy themselves than have children" - which seems to me to reveal more about those who asked the question than about those who answered it - because bringing up children is fun too!

However, only 32% said bringing up kids came ahead of material success - and that makes the change in British values pretty clear.

So now we know why the birthrate has fallen so low in the UK: about 20% of British women reaching the end of their fertile life are childless, compared with 10% in the 1940s. In 2004 the UK fertility rate was 1.77 children per woman, considerably lower than the 1960s peak of 2.95 children, although up on the 1.63 record low in 2001. Sphere: Related Content