THE TELEGRAPH: As Britain’s birth rate tumbles, having several children may be the new status symbol
Subtle signs of riches come in many forms: a fancy car, private club memberships and paying someone else to do your cooking and cleaning.
But as Britain’s birth rate keeps tumbling to new lows, the ultimate status symbol may be having several children.
Think of the Prince and Princess of Wales with their three children, the Beckhams with four, or even Baroness Morrissey, a financier, with nine.
In this economy, it is hard enough for many young people to entertain having one child, let alone two or three.
The Telegraph’s analysis of the Office for National Statistics’ Labour Force Survey shows that the higher your income, the more children you are likely to have. » | Eir Nolsøe Economics Correspondent. Ben Butcher Data Editor | May 6, 2026
The day that mothers decided that staying at home to do their motherly duties was worthless and insisted, instead, on going out to work to earn a living was the day that the death knell was sounded on traditional British culture and values, and it was also the harbinger of the downfall of the West. Fie on women’s liberation! I can think of nothing that has been more harmful to Western culture than so-called women’s liberation. The empowerment of women has meant the disempowerment of men. And this, to society’s detriment. — © Mark Alexander
