People are having fewer children and having them later in life.

A clear change in British family life is the decrease in the average number of children people have.

1. People are having fewer children. The average number of children per family was 2.4 in 1971 compared to 1.63 in 2001 (the lowest ever recorded).


2. Women are having children later. The average age of women at the birth of their first child was 24 in 1971 compared to 27 in 2001.


3. More people are not having children at all, 9% of women born in 1945 were childless at the age of 45 compared to 15% of women born in 1955.

Social changes have influenced these trends. Contraception is more readily available and women's roles are changing. Children are expensive and time consuming, and couples may choose to spend their time and money in other ways. The conflict beween wanting a successful working life and being a mum has made many women put off having kids until later.