Sun, 29 Jun 2025

Sun, 29 Jun 2025 'How can people afford to have kids?'

In a city where the birth rate has fallen by a third in a decade, many blame financial pressures.

* The birth rate in Bristol has fallen by 36% over the past decade, with a total fertility rate of 1.14.
* This decline reflects a national trend, where the UK's total fertility rate has dropped by 21% over the same period.
* Financial pressures are being cited as one reason for the falling birth rate, with people like Courtney Young and Aaliyah Thomas expressing concerns about affording to raise children.
* The average age of new mothers in Bristol is 31, but it does not mean they have fewer children; rather, women are having babies later.
* Bristol's economy has doubled in size since 2004, but the number of babies born has dropped by a third over the same period.
* A survey found that many people are delaying parenthood due to financial constraints and difficulty finding affordable housing and childcare.
* Filmmaker Maxine Trump says she chose not to have children, feeling it was the right decision for her career and lifestyle.
* Amy Joce, a Bristol resident who is child-free by choice, said she has never experienced negative judgments from others.
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