The housing crisis is the hidden factor behind falling birth rates

Why is this happening? For one thing, young people are delaying their foray into parenthood, with women waiting until the age of 31 on average to become mothers. As women only have a narrow range of fertile years, starting later naturally results in fewer children.

Easy access to free birth control also represented a dramatic shift in choice for women since the baby boom of the 1960s. Many have argued that women, in particular, who often bear the majority of caring responsibilities and household chores, simply prefer more freedom now that they have the option.

“The financial strain young people face means that a household often requires two people in employment to maintain even a basic standard of living without government help”

However, I would argue this picture is a surface-level explanation. It ignores, for example, as education secretary Bridget Phillipson highlighted recently in an article for The Telegraph, that most mothers work, so they require access to affordable childcare, along with more support from employers around flexible working. It’s not necessarily about women not wanting babies.

She also recognised the burden that high rent and house prices are having on families, forcing many to delay having children or forgo parenthood altogether. The financial strain young people face means that a household often requires two people in employment to maintain even a basic standard of living without government help. Taking time out to raise children frankly often feels impossible, especially if you run a household alone.

The problem is so bad that, according to England’s children’s commissioner, many children being born now are facing “Dickensian” poverty. In the July 2025 report, children said that their families were “forced to live in houses affected by issues such as mould, overcrowding and poor maintenance” due to a lack of money.

Others, like my own family, don’t qualify for any financial help or housing support from the government, but still feel like they’re walking on a knife-edge.

Last year, I married a wonderful man – an amazing stepdad to my 11-year-old son. We rent a home just a stone’s throw from one of the most expensive coastal towns in the UK, where many properties are second homes or let to tourists. We both work hard and are trying to build a secure future, holding onto a thin sliver of hope as rents and house prices rocket around us. 

“We still cannot ignore the pressing need for a visionary social housing policy designed to protect families rather than stigmatise them for taking a hit to their incomes to raise healthy, happy children”

Having a baby now – something we both desire – would mean jeopardising everything. I’m acutely aware that now I’m in my mid-30s, I’m running out of time, but we can’t afford another bedroom. As a freelancer, I have few protections if I take time away from work to raise a child, and no guarantee my clients will wait for me to resurface. 

The question is not whether I want a baby. It’s whether I am willing to risk homelessness, poverty and reducing the quality of life for my existing son.

Of course, the reasons for delaying parenthood are complex, but access to safe, affordable housing that meets the needs of families is a huge issue that’s only getting worse. I’d argue that for many, if not most, young people, it’s the driving force behind the choice to keep families small.

So, what can be done? To begin with, we need more housing to ease the pressure on the supply. In regions heavily influenced by tourism, like mine, there are strong calls for tighter controls around ringfencing new build homes for locals and regulating the number of second homes and holiday lets. In October, PriceHubble managing director Sandra Jones told Inside Housing that the built-to-rent (BTR) sector has a crucial role to play in creating high-quality, affordable homes for tenants on middle incomes.

However, we still cannot ignore the pressing need for a visionary social housing policy designed to protect families rather than stigmatise them for taking a hit to their incomes to raise healthy, happy children. We need a bold plan, focused on building high-quality social homes properly integrated into our communities. We need a system that allows people to access housing support while actively saving to reach the first rung of the housing ladder.

You may ask if we can afford it. There’s no easy answer. But I am asking: can any society that values a sustainable, thriving population afford not to?

Sofia Villaweaver, freelance writer