Heidegger

Rising immigration fuels 26-year fertility high
By Emma Henry and agencies
Last Updated: 3:41pm BST 07/06/2007

Rising immigration and older mothers have fuelled a 26-year high in the
number of children women are having in England and Wales.

Pregnant women; Rising immigration fuels 26-year fertility high

Figures released by the Office of National Statistics show the average
number of children has risen for a fifth straight year to 1.87, the
highest rate since 1980.

The last decade has seen a 77 per cent increase in births by mothers
born outside of the UK, with the figure climbing to almost 150,000, or
over a fifth of all babies, last year.

As Britain’s demographics change, Mohammed is expected soon to replace
Jack as the most popular boy’s name. It has already pushed Thomas into
third place.

Older mothers, also played a part in the rising fertility rate, with
more women choosing to break off their careers to get pregnant. Births
to women aged between 35 and 39 rose seven per cent last year and the
number of babies born to women aged over 40 and over has almost doubled
in the last decade.
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The trend towards leaving parenthood until later has been encouraged by
advances in fertility treatments and workplace pressures. Fertility
expert Lord Winston warned this month that it is allowing IVF clinics to
exploit couples desperate for children.

Women in the West Midlands had the most children in England, with 1.96
children per woman, while the lowest rate was the North East, at 1.78
children.

The infant death rate remained at the lowest level ever, at five deaths
per 1,000, the same as for 2005. There were 3,368 infant deaths recorded
in England and Wales last year.
 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jht…

Posted on Friday, June 8th, 2007 at 12:05 am
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