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Why competitive parents are driving down fertility rates
It’s not simply the high cost of educating one’s child but also the pressure not to lose out to others.
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The pressure on parents to keep their children ahead of the pack in the education race is a factor in falling fertility rates.
PHOTO: ST FILE
Daniel Moss
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In the debate about tumbling fertility levels, the high cost of raising children, delays in marriage, access to birth control, and the career aspirations of women are usually subjected to scrutiny. Even bulky and expensive car seats have been likened to a form of contraception.
But what about envy? The issue may not be so much the expense of rearing kids and giving them the best start in life, but perceptions of how you perform in that role relative to others.
