Lifestyle fears 'hit birth rate'

Mixed blessing? Attitudes towards parenthood are complex

Quality-of-life sacrifices faced by parents mean people are leaving it until later in life to have children, an independent think tank has said.

The survey of 1,500 adults for the Institute of Public Policy Research comes as Britain's birth rate stands at an historic low.

Most people agree children bring happiness, but say they are a mixed blessing, the institute reports.

It is calling for "trade-offs" between parenthood and lifestyle to be reduced.

In the survey, carried out by detergent company Lever Fabergé , almost 25% of people in their late 30s did not have children.

Nearly 20% of those in their 30s who wanted children in the future were unsure as to when they would have them.

Many would-be parents could be leaving it too late, experts say

They seemed to believe the decision was within their control, but this was often not the case, the report warned.

When asked what were the most important things to have in place when having children, those without children placed a stable relationship on a par with financial security.

For those with children, a stable relationship was most important.

Almost 25% of women with children in their 20s cited missing out on a career or putting their working life on hold as a disadvantage of becoming a parent before 30.

Both men and women generally want children and believe they could bring greater happiness and fulfilment Kate Stanley, Institute of Public Policy Research Are you delaying parenthood?

Both men and women were concerned at the impact children might have on their hard-won quality of life.

However, women were significantly more likely than men to state that their children made them happy.

Of those people with children, 41% of men said their children make them most happy, compared with 66% of women.

The survey found that those leaving parenthood until later in life were more likely to plan children, but were no more likely to be in control of when, or if, they became parents.

'Consumption-smoothing'

This "planning paradox" was said to be related to "consumption-smoothing" or attempting to make sure incomes are sufficient to minimise the impact of children.

Keith Weed, Chairman of Lever Fabergé, said the study gave "hard evidence of emerging attitudinal trends".

It helped to explain at least some of the reasons behind falling birth rates and the changing demographic shape of the UK, she said.

Kate Stanley, a research fellow at the Institute of Public Policy Research, said it highlighted the need for more stress to be put on issues of work-life balance.

"Both men and women generally want children and believe they could bring greater happiness and fulfilment," she said.

"We must recognise the role we all have to play in mitigating the negative trade-offs associated with having children while maximising the potential for them to have a positive impact."