A wave of childlessness is sweeping the whole world | Camilla Cavendish | The Exchange

Overview

Camilla Cavendish argues that falling birth rates are accelerating population ageing worldwide. The trend is not explained by any single factor: housing costs, work pressures and poor maternity care matter, but the decline is also tied to changing expectations, relationships and social norms.

She stresses the importance of distinguishing people who happily choose not to have children from those who wanted children but did not have them.

Relationships and Partnership

A major change, Cavendish says, is that fewer people are forming couples. In many industrialized countries, women cite difficulty finding a reliable partner as a significant reason for not having children.

Women now outnumber men in higher education, yet many still seek partners with similar educational or economic standing. Traditional expectations can leave highly educated women struggling to find a match, while economic insecurity and changing employment opportunities can leave some men feeling overlooked. Political divisions, dating-app expectations and anxiety about rejection may further narrow the pool of potential partners.

Work, Money and Family Decisions

Expensive housing and the need for support from nearby relatives can make raising children difficult, especially in large cities. Professional careers often demand rapid advancement during the same years people might start families.

Cavendish highlights the “motherhood penalty” in career progression, alongside a “fatherhood bonus” for some professional men. She argues that rigid career paths make combining work and parenthood harder than it needs to be. She also calls for more support and acceptance of fathers taking parental leave, and greater recognition of parents who want to care for young children at home.

Having Fewer Children Than Desired

Cavendish says the deeper concern is that many people end up having fewer children than they wanted. She points to research on regret and argues that decisions are increasingly postponed because the disadvantages of having children feel immediate and concrete, while the benefits can seem uncertain or abstract.

In the UK, the interview cites a fertility rate of 1.39, compared with 2.93 in 1964, and a forecast that half of families will have one child by 2031. The growth of one-child families raises questions about children’s experiences and future caregiving burdens, though Cavendish notes that research on only children is mixed.

Policy and Social Attitudes

Government efforts to raise birth rates have generally had limited or temporary effects, Cavendish says. Hungary’s financial incentives did not produce a lasting surge, while coercive approaches—such as China’s past one-child policy and subsequent pressure to have more children—are not a solution.

Cavendish points instead to France’s long-standing, flexible family support and the UK’s Sure Start programme as examples worth examining. She also emphasizes the importance of making children more visible in public and working life. Societies, she argues, have become increasingly uncomfortable with children, which can make parenthood seem less normal.

Main Aim

The aim, Cavendish stresses, should not be to pressure people into having children, but to make it easier for them to have the families they actually want. Policy, workplaces and cultural attitudes should better accommodate parenting and recognize both its difficulties and its joys.

Presenters and Contributor

• Oli Dugmore — Presenter and interviewer
• Camilla Cavendish — Guest