‘A child costs as much as a house’, goes the cliché. But is that correct? Is a child really that expensive? And are we talking about a terraced house or a villa? In any case, the price tag is the main argument for many young people not wanting to have children later.
“It is a reality that there are many more young people who do not want to have children.” Urologist Piet Hoebeke of the Ghent University Hospital tells the Nieuwsblad how the declining desire to have children leads to a sharp increase in vasectomy – male sterilization – in young people in their twenties. A recent study by Vives University of Applied Sciences among teenagers confirms what Hoebeke sees in his practice. Only 62 percent still say a resounding yes when it comes to children, a fifth have doubts and just over 10 percent say a radical no.
This is striking when you know that in the past, in such surveys, about 95 percent indicated that they would like to have children. Also the reason why the survey was conducted. Not the fear of overwhelming responsibility or climate change, but money is the most important argument for not wanting children.
Princes and princesses
An Deneffe is not surprised that teenagers are sometimes told that they are expensive. She is a family income expert at the Gezinsbond. “It’s a lot of money. Parents are therefore approached very commercially in what is most dear to them. Children are like princes and princesses: everything should be beautiful, new and changing. Adolescents and young adults see this too. This results in a waning desire to have children.
Apartment or villa
There are various calculation methods that give an idea of how much a child actually costs. The Gezinsbond has a calculator to calculate maintenance contributions. That is interesting in divorces. Their studies show that more than 20 percent of the monthly budget goes to the child. Exact figures differ from family to family, but the higher the income, the more parents spend on their offspring.
To get an idea of the average monthly minimum expenses, the Gezinsbond uses the basic income of a family with one child. They index this annually to stay up to date. Basic costs, such as shelter, food, clothing, transport, health and energy, amount to an average of 406.92 euros per month during the first years of the child’s life. Later, that figure slowly but surely rises, an adolescent costs 644.91 euros monthly and a twenty-year-old living at home costs 773.79 euros. From 0 to 24 years, this amounts to an average of 595.32 euros.
The Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) reports similar figures as in Belgium. For a two-parent family, one child would cost an average of 15 percent of disposable income. Two children cost on average 25 percent of the income, three children 29 percent and four children 35 percent. For a single-parent family, these percentages are higher: one child costs an average of 23 percent, two children 31 percent, three children 37 percent and four children 42 percent.
Unexpected costs
“The money you spend on a child is actually the extra income you need to maintain your standard of living,” says Deneffe. The actual figure is undoubtedly higher. Childcare and study costs are not included because they vary too much. And we’re not even talking about unexpected costs: what if your child falls ill? Or needs extra care during his development?
It NIBUD has a tool if you are unsure whether you can make ends meet with a child or if you would like to know how much money you will have left.
So does a child cost a house? “You will at least come close to an apartment and probably, yes, a house,” says Deneffe. At the Gezinsbond they know that finances are decisive when choosing a second or third child. Deneffe finds it worrying that it already makes young people doubt their first choice. Although that is not entirely surprising. Dutch research showed last year that insecurity, for example due to a low income, leads to postponement of having children.
An average of 1.49 children per Dutch woman
Fewer and fewer children have been born in the Netherlands since 2010. On average, a woman only has 1.49 children, according to research by Statistics Netherlands (CBS) in December. What is striking is that young, poorly educated women in particular are more likely to remain childless. Finding a home, a permanent job or a stable income plays a major role. In addition to the unfavorable conditions in the housing and labor market, the research also shows that women indicate that they do not want children for fear of climate change and ‘birth shame’.