London – More than half of British families will have just one child by 2022, experts predict.
The number of single-child families has grown by almost 12 percent in the past decade, according to official figures.
This means the proportion of parents stopping at one child is already at 47 percent.
And sociologists warn it is inevitable that the figure will soon pass the 50 percent mark.
“The number of families with one child in Britain will be more than half within seven years,” reckons Professor Frank Furedi, a sociologist at Kent University.
“For many people, having one child is like an insurance policy. It fulfils their need to carry on the bloodline without having to make as much commitment.”
The figures, from the UK’s Office for National Statistics’ study on families and households, show the trend was affecting all types of families.
The proportion of married couples with one child grew from 37 percent to 40 percent from 2003 to 2013.
Unmarried cohabiting couples with one child grew from 51 percent to 53 percent in the same period, and single parents with one child jumped from 52 percent to 58 percent.
James Davis, 37, and his wife, Sal Thomas, 39, who live in Manchester with their son, Edgar, 22 months, said they decided to stop at one child because it would give all three of them the best quality of life.
According to Professor Ann Buchanan, an expert in social work at Oxford University, “Research in China has shown that most children from single child families do exceedingly well.
“However, there is concern about higher suicide rates; the pressure on lone children is greater and this can lead to mental health problems.”
Daily Mail