Parenting Australia

How Many Births?

The fertility rate in Australia has fallen in recent generations, and is currently at around 1.7 (according to the Living In Australia study). This means that on average women today have 1.7 children. I am in my early 30s, and this figure certainly rings true amongst my friends. Although I do have a couple of friends who have chosen to have beautiful big families, most of my peers either have one or two children, and most are not planning on more.

When it comes to planning for children, things have changed a lot for Aussie women according to research. Women who are now aged around 65 planned on average to have 3 children, and most of them actually did go on to have 3 kids according to their plan. Today, women of child bearing age are planning on average to have 2 children, but despite their plans many of them actually have less. It will be interesting to see how Australia’s population and birth rates change in the next few generations.

Of course, having a child is one of the biggest life decisions anyone can make, and there are many good reasons why people today are planning cautiously. For starters women are generally waiting until much later to begin a family than previous generations, and the average age for pregnancy is now close to 30 in Australia. Older women are at an increased risk of complications during pregnancy, and this is an area of serious consideration for many women. For most couples the finances play a part in deciding when to have children, and how many kids to have. Although the “Baby Bonus” has softened the financial impact a new baby can bring to a household, we all know how costly raising a child is! On top of this, one parent’s income is usually on hold either temporarily or indefinitely once kids come along. Then there are all the “enough” questions like, “Do we have a big enough car? A big enough house? Enough family support? A healthy enough relationship? Enough energy?!” It’s no wonder some couples make the informed decision NOT to have children.

For those of us that do, though, life is forever changed. 340,000 lives are changed every day as new babies are welcomed into the world. I’ve welcomed two, and I couldn’t imagine life without my two precious kids.
How many children are you planning to have? Are you hoping to have a big family or small? And have things gone to plan? Perhaps you long for another child you cannot have, or perhaps you have been surprised by an unexpected delivery? Share your experience in the comments below... 
 

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