Childbearing: Changing Family Patterns

What has happened to births outside marriage in the UK?

• the proportion of children born outside marriage has risen

• 51.4% of children were born outside marriage in 2022, compared with 20% in 1986

How has the age of first motherhood changed in the UK?

women are having their first child later

How have fertility rates changed in the UK?

• declined

• the average number of children per woman was 2.95 in 1964 and 1.44 in 2023

How has childlessness changed over recent generations?

• increasing numbers of women remain childless

• 17.9% of the 1941 cohort were childless at age 30, whereas 50.1% of the 1990 cohort were childless at age 30

What are the four main causes of changes in childbearing?

• the decline in stigma and the rise in cohabitation

• women prioritising education and careers

How have the decline in stigma and the rise in cohabitation contributed to changes in childbearing?

• having children outside marriage is less stigmatised

• cohabitation is increasingly socially accepted

• smaller family sizes

• secularisation

How has women prioritising education and careers contributed to changes in childbearing?

• many women delay childbearing to focus on higher education and career development

• reflects changes in gender roles and female financial independence

How have smaller family sizes contributed to changes in childbearing?

couples choose to have fewer children due to the high cost of raising a family and lifestyle choices - the average cost of raising a child to age 18 in the UK was around £223,256 in 2024

How has secularisation contributed to changes in childbearing?

• decline in religious influence weakens the view that marriage and childbearing must be linked

• premarital sex is no longer widely seen as sinful

How do functionalist sociologists view changes in childbearing?

delayed childbearing and smaller families are rational adaptations to economic demands while the family still fulfils its core function of socialising children

How do feminist sociologists view changes in childbearing?

• delayed childbearing is empowering for women

• allows independence and career success

• reduced pressure to marry and have children

• seen as moving away from patriarchal expectations

How do postmodern and personal life perspectives (PLP) explain changes in childbearing?

• highlights individual choice and diversity

• childbearing decisions are shaped by personal goals and changing social norms rather than fixed traditions