The world wants women to have more kids. Apparently, it’s our fault that birth rates are dropping and we’re in danger of letting men die without passing on their DNA – shock, horror, what will we do about this injustice?
On a recent episode of Diary of a CEO, host Stephen Bartlett and Love Islander-turned lifestyle guru Chris Williamson – both childless, mind you – pondered this injustice. “Should society intervene to course-correct that?” mused Bartlett. “Should we put systems in place to make sure that those men meet partners?”
I have a better idea; We have to kick out patriarchy and welcome in matriarchy.
Hold on, I hear you say, wouldn’t it be just as bad exchanging one gender-based societal system for another? Well, no. It wouldn’t. I’ll explain. But first, we need to understand why more women are choosing to say no to child-rearing.
Birth rates in the UK hit a record low of 1.41 in England and Wales in 2025, marking the third year of decline. Deaths are expected to consistently outnumber births by the year 2030. The primary driver of hesitancy is economic pressure. It now costs a couple £260,000 to raise a child to age 18 and £290,000 for a lone parent — the median income in the UK is around £39,000. Many parents must also support their child well beyond their passage into adulthood, thanks to a struggling economy.
A 2025 Ipsos survey of 18- to 50-year-olds found that 44% planned to delay having children or not have them at all. The main reason cited? The astronomical cost. Even as the government expands free nursery hours, it’s not enough to make having a child financially viable for many people. The fantasy of the one-working-parent household is no longer the norm, and parents are being destroyed by exorbitant childcare fees. Naturally, in response, people are increasingly saying no or “maybe later” to parenthood.
But money isn’t the only reason women are turning their backs on parenthood. The opportunity to prioritise a job over family is still relatively new for women, so many of us are choosing to grow our careers rather than grow a baby. We’re also seeing fewer grandparents able to take on childcare responsibilities, which often leaves prospective parents choosing between financial stability and childcare.
Then there’s the state of the world. Climate change is looming over us. War is breaking out across the globe. Political instability has never felt more visceral than it does in an age where we see people murdered by state officials on our news feeds. It’s no wonder people are electing to delay or avoid having children to protect potential offspring from growing up in a broken world.