London - Our desire to keep up with the Joneses is pushing down birth rates, according to a study.
Couples are buying new cars or the latest gadgets, so they have to delay having children or limit their number.
Birth rates are said to have fallen in many Western countries as they “over-invest” in the status symbols.
Paul Hooper, an anthropologist at Emory University in Atlanta, based his findings on maths models, and rainforest tribes who move to cities.
He said: “As competition becomes more focused on social climbing, as opposed to just putting food on the table, people invest more in material goods.”
The study, reported in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, says low child mortality and easier birth control could also be factors in the decline.
Daily Mail