Tory MP Suggests Having Children Could Become Socially Unacceptable
Conservative Miriam Cates expressed her concern that the fertility rate is at risk of ‘collapsing’ if the current decline is not reversed quickly.
A conservative Member of Parliament issued a warning that having children might soon become ‘culturally unacceptable,’ leading to a rapid decline in fertility rates.
Leading the call for pro-natal policies, Miriam Cates emphasized that demography should not be ignored by politicians.
These comments follow Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s confirmation that the Conservatives will maintain the two-child benefit cap in the upcoming election.
Ms. Cates, the MP representing Penistone and Stocksbridge, made these statements during a panel discussion on demography at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC).
Discussing the decline in fertility rates, Ms. Cates expressed her concern that the decline may accelerate faster than anticipated.
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“If the norm of having children changes and it becomes culturally unacceptable, will we witness a much faster collapse in fertility rates?”
The MP expressed her fear that people might ‘just stop doing it altogether’ if the decline is not swiftly reversed.
In response to Ms. Cates’ statements, economist Philip Pilkington and demographer Paul Morland, co-authors of an ARC report on the ‘demographic trilemma,’ suggested that fertility could decline sharply.
Mr. Morland noted, “… fertility is declining rapidly in the UK at the moment… future generations may not align with having large families, as indicated by their values, lifestyle, and aspirations.”
This echoes his previous comments to The Epoch Times about a significant drop in birth rates among under-25s, attributing it to a shift in values.
For the past fifty years, the UK’s total fertility rate has remained below the replacement level of 2.1, necessary for a population to sustain itself naturally.
In their report, Mr. Morland and Mr. Pilkington argued that the UK must prioritize ‘more children’ to avoid relying on mass migration or experiencing economic stagnation.
They emphasized that childbearing is essential to combat the challenges of declining fertility rates, such as shrinking workforces and aging populations.
While past efforts to boost fertility rates with incentives have had limited success, Mr. Morland highlighted that a cultural shift is crucial.
Mr. Pilkington noted that Hungary’s aggressive approach to increasing birth rates has shown promising results, with a 30% rise in fertility rates and a significant increase in marriage rates.
He asserted that investing public funds to reverse the declining trend is vital due to the severe economic consequences associated with low fertility rates.
