Statistics Canada confirmed last week that 351,679 babies were born in 2022 — the lowest number of live births since 345,044 births were recorded in 2005.

The disparity is all the more notable given that Canada had just 32 million people in 2005, as compared to the 40 million it counted by the end of 2022. In 2005, it was already at historic lows for Canada to have a fertility rate of 1.57 births per woman. But given the 2022 figures, that fertility rate has now sunk to 1.33.

Of Canadians in their 20s, Statistics Canada found that 38 per cent of them “did not believe they could afford to have a child in the next three years” — with about that same number (32 per cent) saying they doubted they’d be able to find “suitable housing” in which to care for a baby.

A January survey by the Angus Reid Group asked women to list the ideal size of their family against its actual size, and concluded that the average Canadian woman reached the end of their childbearing years with 0.5 fewer children than they would have wanted

“In Canada, unlike many other countries, fertility rates and desires rise with income: richer Canadians have more children,” it read.

  • PupBiru@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    yeah and it’s possible to live on $15 of food per day without internet, electricity, a car

    … but we don’t, because it’s not comfortable

    like you’re literally saying that if you think raising kids is too much of a financial burden maybe you haven’t considered giving up everything in your life to pay for one

    how about no… my bar for having kids (actually i never want kids for so many reasons, but if i did) is not just survival

    • Uranium3006@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      Also with inflation these days I’m not sure if you can actually feed a family on $15 per day, even if you try really hard. You also need internet and electricity these days, it’s not even optional. Hell I think my landlord probably evict me if we let them shut off the electricity. Since this is Canada we’re talking about you probably do need the car because they botched things just as bad as the Americans

    • Showroom7561
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      1 year ago

      I think you misunderstood… or, perhaps I’m not following you.

      Do you expect that people should not have to pay for the care of their own child? Is putting in more than $7 too much?

      Canadian families, according to stats Canada, are not losing money by having a child. Many in the lower-income groups might actually be turning a profit in the early years, since they’d get more money in child benefits than they’d be spending. I’m not saying this as opinion, that’s what the data is suggesting.

      • Uranium3006@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        If having kids were a cheat code to having more money we would be seeing the exact opposite thing happen than what we’re seeing. Also how much does it cost to buy a rent an additional bedroom in canada? The housing market there is insane so that I will probably wipe out your meager government benefit