Plans to have children shelved due to housing costs
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Plans to have children are being put on hold because of the high cost of housing, research from Shelter reveals.
Research from the homeless charity shows that 18% of 18- to 44 year olds, the equivalent to 2.4 million people nationwide, are actively putting off having children because of a lack of affordable housing.
Among 18 to 34 year olds, this figures climbs to 24%.
The survey of 5,438 people shows that one in five 18 to 44 year olds had waited up to six years to start a family, with over a third expecting housing costs to continue to delay their plans for another four years.
Kay Boycott, director of policy and campaigns at Shelter, says: “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.”
Susan Seenan, a spokeswoman from Infertility Network UK, says that putting off having children because of housing costs could have further implications for would-be parents’ fertility.
She 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.”
The average age of a first-time buyer without financial help from family or friends is now 37 years old, up from 33 in 2005.
Shelter has today launched an online discussion forum so that people can have their say about the way high housing costs are affecting their lives.
Members of the public can share their experiences on the forum at www.shelter.org.uk/campaigning.
