Will child benefit reductions affect birth rates?

Dannyboy83

I'm assuming child benefit will be whittled down progressively over the next few years. I've no children and haven't given it much thought, won't have any until I own my own house.

None of the lads I went to college with have any children.
Most of my former and current colleagues have all waited until 30 odd.
But a good few of the lads who dropped out of school have kids now.

So will child benefit reductions affect birth rates?
How do you suppose the demographics will shift?

mikemac

It will make no difference

And to throw in another generalization, I'd imagine with hundreds of thousands people unemployed, hanging around home all day and no career to focus on, I expect the birth rate to go way up

SarahSassy

Hopefully - especially if they cant afford the kids in the first place....

NewDubliner

Given the push by big business to reduce pensions for everyone, how much has been lost in pension funds, and the plundering of the National Pension Reserve Fund to shore up the banks, having more kids may be a sound investment, as hopefully, they'll look after you when you get old.

P. Breathnach

I rather think that most people do not give much thought to the rate of child benefit when they are having it off.

The desire to have children is a basic human drive to which most people succumb.

Absurdum

It's certainly not something I tend to think about when I'm getting down and dirrrty with one of my girls :cool:

old boy

mikemac wrote: »

It will make no difference

And to throw in another generalization, I'd imagine with hundreds of thousands people unemployed, hanging around home all day and no career to focus on, I expect the birth rate to go way up

there is an old saying there is no poverty between the sheets

mikemac

Never heard that saying, makes sense I suppose

Very wise people who came up with all these sayings

lmimmfn

there should be a license for having kids , cant afford them, cant have them.

Daithinski

lmimmfn wrote: »

there should be a license for having kids , cant afford them, cant have them.

Yes and then we can identify the poor and sterilise them.

Just in case they try and have kids without a license.

00sully

nah the licence should be based on some form of intelligence/suitability test.

you would imagine the birh rate to drop, but as mikemac says it will probably go up alright. There are probably some stats somewhere that would back that up too. At the very least it will stay the same.