Young people in England are becoming more disinterested in raising a family due to concerns about climate change, lack of LGBTQ+ care, and misinformation on fertility and miscarriages.
Youth Perspectives on Parenthood
A recent study conducted by researchers at University College London (UCL) revealed that over 33% of adolescents in England express disinterest in having children in the future.
Women in the study were notably worried about the potential dangers of childbirth, and most young people were concerned about the state of the world due to climate change and global conflicts.
Urgent Need for Curriculum Adaptation
Researchers from UCL asserted that updating the relationships and sex education curriculum is imperative to address the apprehensions about parenthood among students.
Other concerns cited in the study were the state of the economy, resulting in potential financial stress, along with the lack of interest in securing the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in society.
Although inflation is looking close to reducing this year, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s recent “joke” about the trans community while the mother of murdered trans teen Brianna Ghey was present in the room supports these ideas.
“The state of the world is in a shambles, “ one student said, “Governments are corrupt. The environment is deteriorating … it would be cruel to put a child through any of our problems, especially since they are not getting better.”
Two Comprehensive Studies
The University College London surveyed 931 school pupils aged between 16 and 18 across 20 schools in England, and the findings showed a staggering number of young people disinterested in bringing up a family.
Although 64% of students expressed a desire to become parents at some point, a staggering 45% harbour reservations about prospective parenthood.
Influence of External Factors
The survey revealed that climate change influenced some students’ desire for children while others were still interested in raising a family but sought alternative paths to parenthood.
Among those disinterested in future parenthood, reasons included the perceived “turbulent state of the world.”
“The environment is deteriorating,” one student told the survey, “it would be cruel to put a child through any of our problems, especially since they are not getting better,” referring to climate change.
Expert Commentary From Joyce Harper
Professor Joyce Harper from the UCL EGA Institute for Women’s Health expressed concern about female students losing interest in future parenthood due to worries about their safety through the process of childbirth.
“Sadly, a number of female students expressed a lack of interest in future parenthood due to their fears about pregnancy and childbirth,” Harper revealed in the study.
Harper pointed out, “Shortcomings in fertility education in schools also meant that students were left feeling both ill-informed and negative towards their own fertility and ability to have children.”
“With regards to fertility education, most teenagers told us they want children in the future but at school we concentrate on teaching them how not to get pregnant, not how to have a healthy pregnancy,” Harper revealed.
Escalating Birth Rate Concerns
According to the Office for National Statistics, Britain’s birth rate is on the decline and currently at a staggering 20-year low, as per the Office for National Statistics.
The government have made it mandatory to teach topics like reproduction and sex education in secondary schools across the country, but students argue they could do better.
Students Want More Out Of Sex Ed Classes
One student argued, “All we’ve done in school is go over and over having safe sex and talked about periods which, whilst it is important, is barely scratching the surface of things people need to know about.”
“If miscarriage and infertility were better taught, then that could reduce the guilt and embarrassment people who struggle with it would feel,” the student argued.
The Department for Education showed they are considering students’ feedback on the current sex education curriculum. Now, they must act to turn around the growing misinformation that females harbour about pregnancy.
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