Housing Costs Push Off Baby-Making
Some new research is turning up some sad statistics about our current financial state of affairs. For years, we've read about women who put off having babies while they established their careers only to find they'd gone past their years of fertility. Now, it seems, it's not just about career, it's also about the high cost of housing. People simply can't afford decent housing and they want a house first, before they start having children. In fact, one out of every five people report they've been forced to push off the decision to have kids because they can't find an appropriate place to live that is within their means.
High Cost
As many as 18% of adults aged 18-44 stated in a recent survey that they took measures to delay beginning their families due to the high cost of housing. This is according to a housing charity called Shelter. In those people within the age range of 18-34, the rate of those putting off having kids rises to 24%.
One fifth of those surveyed said that they had decided it was necessary to hold off having kids for as long as six year due to rising housing costs, while 37% thought they would have to wait for at least four years before starting their families.
Housing Crisis
The director of policy and campaigns for Shelter, Kay Boycott stated, "These figures show just how pervasive the housing crisis is. Whilst it is responsible to ensure that you can afford to support a new baby, it is completely unacceptable that housing costs are changing important life decisions like starting a family in such a significant way."
The average age of first-time home-buyers who manage the purchase without benefit of financial assistance from friends or family has risen from 33 in 2005 to 37 in 2009. Meantime, women are being cautioned that they risk an inability to conceive if they delay starting their families for too long a time. Infertility Network UK's Susan Seenan says, "If people are delaying having children because of housing costs then this could have long-term implications for their ability to conceive. It is extremely important that people are aware of the effects of age on their fertility, not only for the woman but for both partners, and particularly for women over the age of 35. Success rates for fertility treatment also decrease with age, from around 30% for women under 35 to 3% for women in their early forties."
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