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NSW birth rate expected to dive


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ClaudiaCosette

I heard this on the radio yesterday - I believe it was saying the birth rate is falling across the whole country. It doesn't surprise me.


On a bit of a tangent, I have previously wondered whether my children's generation will look at our generation's propensity to delay having babies until after 30, and will revert to wanting to start their families in their 20s? I know for me personally, my parents were older, and I absolutely wanted to have my children younger than they did (which I did, just!)

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VeritasVinumArte

Costs of living are high, children cost money. Therefore people have less children. Since the introduction of the Pill and other contraceptives women can choose to limit the number of children they have. Considering my mum was one of 7 and my grandparents 1 of 9/11 I am happy for the choice.


I was reading about an ancestor of mine 11 children, over 80 grandchildren and over 380 great grandchildren.

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Not at all surprised.


Even before covid, the lack of job security, casualisation of the workforce, employment in 12 month increments etc does not instill confidence in people to be able to afford children especially when both partners are without permanent full-time positions.

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I heard this on the radio yesterday - I believe it was saying the birth rate is falling across the whole country. It doesn't surprise me.


On a bit of a tangent, I have previously wondered whether my children's generation will look at our generation's propensity to delay having babies until after 30, and will revert to wanting to start their families in their 20s? I know for me personally, my parents were older, and I absolutely wanted to have my children younger than they did (which I did, just!)

 

Based on people I know, alot of that seems to be driven by kids comparing their parents to their friends parents. Kids want to be like their peers, generally. If their parents are older than all their friends parents, it can make them feel like the odd one out.


My own parents were on the older side but I never had an issue with it, I didn't even notice. On talking to other people as adults who did have an issue, I realised that my two best friends parents were also older so it was my normal.


I think it will just be everyone's normal.

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Kiwi Bicycle

I heard this on the radio yesterday - I believe it was saying the birth rate is falling across the whole country. It doesn't surprise me.


On a bit of a tangent, I have previously wondered whether my children's generation will look at our generation's propensity to delay having babies until after 30, and will revert to wanting to start their families in their 20s? I know for me personally, my parents were older, and I absolutely wanted to have my children younger than they did (which I did, just!)

My mum had me when she was 29. In 1977 that was considered old. But then I had DS when I was 36. What with the housing situation, unless intergenerational living becomes more normalised, I don't see people having kids younger while they still live with their parents because they don't have enough saved to buy a home, or they cannot find anywhere to rent ( which is also an issue)..

I also think the Instagrammer thing will have young people wanting to travel and live the nomad life going places, without kids in tow.

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IamtheMumma

I would like to dispute this based on my anecdata. We are slammed at work. Covid babies is a thing.


Edit - I have midi friends country wide and we're all feeling it.

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I would like to dispute this based on my anecdata. We are slammed at work. Covid babies is a thing.


Edit - I have midi friends country wide and we're all feeling it.

 

That's what I was thinking too. Both hospitals where I live in Vic have had a lot of babies booked in, and I know that at least a couple of the major maternity hospitals in Melbourne are super busy too.

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VeritasVinumArte

I find ages of first pregnancy interesting...... my mum was 25, but DHs was 43 (DH and I born same year).


My grandmother’s were 28 and 40 for their first born. I had many great aunts who did not marry until their 30s (and didn’t have children - I also suspect a family history of undiagnosed PCOS on that line).


I giggle that my great great grandmother has her age listed on her marriage certificate as 22 when she was really 28 and my great great grandfather listed as 24 when he was really 20. She was 8 years older but listed as 2 years younger on marriage certificate. Found searching for their birth certificates interesting.


ETA I was 30 with my first and 35 with my last. I was the first of my friends to have a child. One had one same time as I had my last but most had kids 38plus. I am 45 and will admit to wincing at the thought of starting at the beginning at my age like some of our friends. They have a NB and we are talking about eldest learning drive later this year.

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LemonMyrtle

This is so unsurprising. Yet another thing that points to the fact that the government’s current policies are actually harming the economy, not helping it.

Funnily enough, cheap childcare, paid maternity leave, good wage growth and other perceived “left wing” policies, would actually help the economy grow and lead to more tax dollars and government revenue, not less.


So many things point to the fact that if you help people get ahead, then the economy helps itself, but the government just can’t see it.



On a personal note, I knew in my 20s that the system was against me having a big family. Against me having any family, almost. By the time I got my degree and started working I was almost 30. I was lucky enough to find a partner, but starting a family at 30 wasn’t easy and we needed IVF. Not sure how we can fix that part, the education part. But the “Melbourne model” of 2 degrees required for any sort of specialisation does not help, at all, and severely impacts women and their fertile years. We need 1 quick degree then maybe some on the job experience and learning.

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I would like to dispute this based on my anecdata. We are slammed at work. Covid babies is a thing.


Edit - I have midi friends country wide and we're all feeling it.

 

That's what I was thinking too. Both hospitals where I live in Vic have had a lot of babies booked in, and I know that at least a couple of the major maternity hospitals in Melbourne are super busy too.

The hospital I’m in has new mums on the surgical floor as all the maternity rooms are full. An my local public hospital is sending maternity patients to the neighbouring private hospital as they’re also full.

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I can't say I'm bothered by the idea of a smaller population. One thing that *really* does my head in though is right wingers who *rage* about migrants and refugees, yet want this Ponzi scheme of an economy to keep growing. How do you think you're going to achieve that, right wing nut jobs? If you don't want to make having children easier for women, how are you going to prop up the economy that relies on growth?

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The overall birthrate in Australia is down 1.26 % which is around what it has been over the last few years. My midwife friends are flat out and my friend's daughter just had a baby and had to wait 12 hours to get a bed in the ward.

Not sure that Victoria has felt this yet.

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StillFreddiesMum

I am completely not suprised by this. People - young people - couples who cannot afford housing, who are in casual employment, who live payday to payday and have very little security are not in a position to start a family.


I also agree with the PP who mentioned the right wing nut jobs who are anti-immigration but our state and federal Lib politicians make it so hard for women to have babies and continue working (at some level).

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My mother was 32 when she had me and that was considered “old”. Obviously this didn’t impact me too much as I went on to have my kids when I was 38 & 39.


A friend who has a 20 year old recently said quite confidently that she will be a grandmother in the next ten years. Her DD has never had a boyfriend and won’t be finished studying until she’s at least 23. I just found it quite surprising that anyone would assume that parenthood was inevitable for anyone before the age of 30. With the cost of housing soaring and no improvement in maternity leave or childcare provisions I’m not surprised the birth rate is declining

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Not at all surprised.


Even before covid, the lack of job security, casualisation of the workforce, employment in 12 month increments etc does not instill confidence in people to be able to afford children especially when both partners are without permanent full-time positions.

 

Not to mention the cost of rents or housing prices continuing to rise- both partners need to work to keep a roof over their head.

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My mother was 32 when she had me and that was considered “old”. Obviously this didn’t impact me too much as I went on to have my kids when I was 38 & 39.


A friend who has a 20 year old recently said quite confidently that she will be a grandmother in the next ten years. Her DD has never had a boyfriend and won’t be finished studying until she’s at least 23. I just found it quite surprising that anyone would assume that parenthood was inevitable for anyone before the age of 30. With the cost of housing soaring and no improvement in maternity leave or childcare provisions I’m not surprised the birth rate is declining

In the late 70s when I started midwifery the average age of a first time mother was 22 however it was not because there were no older women having babies but in part because there was a significant teenage pregnancy issue which brought down the average. We were still having women in their late 30's, early 40's and even a couple of 50 year olds but most of these women were not first time parents. There would be times when at least half of our patients per day were under 18 with 16 being 'the norm'.


It is safer now to have babies later in life than it was back then with the development of so many methods of keeping older mothers and babies safe so to me the term 'elderly' I feel has become less of a negative in terms of outcomes.

The average age of a first time mum is now 32.


I think studying the socio economics of the first time mum back then and the first time mum now would be a very interesting one. There has probably been one done, I should go looking.

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My mother was 32 when she had me and that was considered “old”. Obviously this didn’t impact me too much as I went on to have my kids when I was 38 & 39.


A friend who has a 20 year old recently said quite confidently that she will be a grandmother in the next ten years. Her DD has never had a boyfriend and won’t be finished studying until she’s at least 23. I just found it quite surprising that anyone would assume that parenthood was inevitable for anyone before the age of 30. With the cost of housing soaring and no improvement in maternity leave or childcare provisions I’m not surprised the birth rate is declining

In the late 70s when I started midwifery the average age of a first time mother was 22 however it was not because there were no older women having babies but in part because there was a significant teenage pregnancy issue which brought down the average. We were still having women in their late 30's, early 40's and even a couple of 50 year olds but most of these women were not first time parents. There would be times when at least half of our patients per day were under 18 with 16 being 'the norm'.


It is safer now to have babies later in life than it was back then with the development of so many methods of keeping older mothers and babies safe so to me the term 'elderly' I feel has become less of a negative in terms of outcomes.

The average age of a first time mum is now 32.


I think studying the socio economics of the first time mum back then and the first time mum now would be a very interesting one. There has probably been one done, I should go looking.

 

I grew up in the country and the trend was definitely having babies young. My mum was the same age as my best friend’s grandmother. Mum loved me pointing that out LOL.

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My mother was 32 when she had me and that was considered “old”. Obviously this didn’t impact me too much as I went on to have my kids when I was 38 & 39.


A friend who has a 20 year old recently said quite confidently that she will be a grandmother in the next ten years. Her DD has never had a boyfriend and won’t be finished studying until she’s at least 23. I just found it quite surprising that anyone would assume that parenthood was inevitable for anyone before the age of 30. With the cost of housing soaring and no improvement in maternity leave or childcare provisions I’m not surprised the birth rate is declining

In the late 70s when I started midwifery the average age of a first time mother was 22 however it was not because there were no older women having babies but in part because there was a significant teenage pregnancy issue which brought down the average. We were still having women in their late 30's, early 40's and even a couple of 50 year olds but most of these women were not first time parents. There would be times when at least half of our patients per day were under 18 with 16 being 'the norm'.


It is safer now to have babies later in life than it was back then with the development of so many methods of keeping older mothers and babies safe so to me the term 'elderly' I feel has become less of a negative in terms of outcomes.

The average age of a first time mum is now 32.


I think studying the socio economics of the first time mum back then and the first time mum now would be a very interesting one. There has probably been one done, I should go looking.

 

I grew up in the country and the trend was definitely having babies young. My mum was the same age as my best friend’s grandmother. Mum loved me pointing that out LOL.

Yes, I was a country girl too and there was always a 'drop out' rate in the last 2 years of high school due to pregnancy which I always thought was sad and to think of it I am grateful it wasn't me because it could have been. :ninja:

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Seayork2002

One of my friends at school had a baby at 13 and a few other friends had babies while at school, when I had ds in my early 30s most of the woman (and the fathers) were all about my age or older at my pre and postnatal and other parenting groups.


I have a mix of young first time mums in my family/friends and some were older, one relative was a grandmother at 36.


I dont remember seeing young parents at ds primary a d highschool they all see. In late 30's through 40's and some in 50's and maybe older

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Kiwi Bicycle

I do remember some girls at my high school in NZ left school for babies, but they were also often ones that had had an arranged marriage at 16 or 17, so children were expected soon afterwards.

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Not everyone waits until they're financially stable or in a long term relationship to have children - in fact many, many people don't. I'm not having a go at those people; I think anyone who wants to be a parent and who will love and take care of their child should have it, even if it means extensive government support. But it's definitely a minority of people who would want to have a family but would choose not to because they don't own a home or make enough money.

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Not everyone waits until they're financially stable or in a long term relationship to have children - in fact many, many people don't. I'm not having a go at those people; I think anyone who wants to be a parent and who will love and take care of their child should have it, even if it means extensive government support. But it's definitely a minority of people who would want to have a family but would choose not to because they don't own a home or make enough money.

Absolutely this, If my children had all waited until they were out of rentals and financially stable they would not have had children when they did. The growth started after the children were born and to be honest it would be similar for most of their peers.

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