Kids are a delight, but also expensive, which puts many people off.
Each week BusinessDesk and the NZ Herald’s Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it’s the costs you should consider before having a baby. Hosted by Frances Cook.
Kids are a delight, a gift… a big old expense.
Adding a new person to the world and your family comes with costs, and it’s a reality that can put people off kids.
It’s a trend around the world.
Japan is the most famous example, with a record-low number of births in 2021. The US population is barely growing anymore. China’s had it first population decline in more than 60 years.
Here in New Zealand? The long-term trend is fewer births.
What could be behind this, I wonder? When it’s so difficult to buy a house, wages don’t keep up with living costs and childcare is so expensive, gosh, what on earth puts people off?
Anyway, having children and raising a family is something many people want. Just because there are certain financial realities doesn’t mean it’s impossible.
For the latest podcast, I talked to Cat Emerson from Kernel.
For the interview, listen to the podcast here.
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'Debt becomes more like a rent payment that people get so used to paying.'