With the price of childcare and the cost of living increasing, parents desperate for another baby can’t make the sums add up
While there’s no doubt that having children has a huge impact, physically and mentally, on mothers, it’s not just women who are grappling with this decision. Jamie* is 38, lives in London and has a one-year-old son. He says that, for both him and his partner, having a child in their late 30s has brought a lot of challenges. “The impact of a lack of sleep, especially combined with having quite demanding careers, has been really detrimental to our mental health.
In some ways, the decision comes down to practicalities and logistics. But it’s also a deeply personal and emotional choice. Parents in this situation often worry about their child not having a sibling – especially if the parent had one themselves. “I feel sad that my son won’t have that experience,” says Plumstead. “We try to fill that void as much as we can – he’s got a really close friend who we meet up with at least once a week.” It’s something that Jamie thinks about, too.
, says it comes down to outdated ideas about family and what women should want. “We are so many decades past the era where the woman has a full-time job in the home while the man goes off and earns a living. And when you add that to childcare costs and housing costs, it’s completely untenable,” she says. “But instead of looking at it as a crisis that needs solutions, we so often revert to: but you’re a woman, you should want this, this is who you’re supposed to be.
For those who would like another child, the current system clearly isn’t working. So, what needs to change? Fabianski says there are three main priorities. “We need a good quality, affordable, accessible childcare system and the Government needs to make sure that this is funded at the true cost of delivery. Next, we need a reform of our parental leave system. We’ve got the worst paternity leave in Europe and our maternity leave forces so many families into poverty.
Brasil Últimas Notícias, Brasil Manchetes
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