No Place for Families: The United Kingdom is a Country Hostile to Family Life
The United Kingdom is the fifth largest economy on the planet. Woohoo, well done everyone.
That is brilliant. However, the United Kingdom falls massively behind the rest of the developed world (outside of the Anglo-sphere) when it comes to raising and having a family.
Now, I have to admit I am not a father (I hope soon), however, I can see why people who have moderate and lower incomes find having a family almost impossible in the UK.
Let me begin this safari of awfulness by noting I am going to talk about generalities and averages.
Reason 1: Double Income or Poverty
The UK has been very successful increasing female participation in the workful over the last 40 years. This should be celebrated. However, with this comes a dark side, a side mentioned rarely.
The Double Income or Poverty problem is simple. Unless both partners work, or one partner has a very much above average salary, then you will be in a form of poverty.
If you have ever watched "Rich House, Poor House" on Channel Five, you will see time after time after time. The poor family has one (or both) partner doing an ordinary job, and yet they are in poverty.
In times gone past, one income would have allowed you to raise a family, buy and house and have a good life.
Now, no society should have a family in poverty and being hard up whilst it has one person working. This may sound old-fashioned and I am talking like some kind of anti-feminist conservative - I am not.
Indeed the push to allow women into the workforce has done more harm than good, as it has stripped millions of families the choice whether Dad or Mum becomes a full-time parent.
Now I am not advocating some Handmaiden Tale society that women are in servitude in the home. What I am advocating is the one average income should mean you can pay the rent, and bills, have food on the table, a warm home, save for the future and the occasional treat.
Reason 2: Maternity and Paternity leave
Britain/United Kingdom has a really poor record on maternity and paternity leave.
This is shocking and is also awful economics as well.
The UK offers less than 20 weeks of maternity/paternity pay. Yet countries like Germany offer over 40, South Korea hard known as a haven of people-friendly polities offers 23 and Japan (yes work-a-holic Japan) offers close to 40 weeks.
In much of Scandinavian maternity and paternity leave have mandatory elements so that the father or mother does not feel pressured into returning to work early. The UK does not.
Many fathers/mothers have to return to work before they are ready.
Reason 3: The Housing "market"
Now the term "housing market" sounds like around housing we all have the freedom and choice on an equal and fair footing when it comes to living options.
Sadly, in the UK that does not happen. The term housing oligopoly would be a better and fairer statement on the situation of British housing stock.
Sadly, in Britain, this means bad things for families for several reasons:
Due to a lack of council house buildings, there is high competition for houses.
Due to a lack of security in rental accommodation in the private sector families can have to move with only 2 months' notice.
If families are lucky enough to have bought their own home, with exorbitant prices they can look forward to paying for their home all the way into and beyond retirement.
Reason 4: Baby-boomers
Also known as grandparents.
These loveable creatures are sadly the main reason UK families are going to be underfunded for an entire generation.
Now I have been known to blame baby boomers for a long time about everything from climate change to Brexit. However, this is not an issue of personal choices or even about Brexit.
It is merely about demography (exciting I know!!).
They form the largest voting block and generation in the country. Soon they are going to need health and social care on a scale we as a country will find hard to deal with without taxation.
Now, the largest pot of money in the country is the housing wealth of baby boomers. But the 2017 election proved that it will be impossible.
Now many grandparents do wonderful things for their own grandchildren and we all need to respect that as a society. However, as a country, the demographic bubble that was the baby boomers will have dire consequences for families unless some much-needed inter-generational fairness is brought into British politics.
Reason 5: Childcare
Simply, it's too costly. Britain should follow Denmark's example.
Plentiful and cheap childcare to help mothers work and allow children to receive great early years education creating more of the "village" that it takes to raise a child.
Final thoughts: What is the recourse to all this?
British society does need to put the needs of families first in society. Not in some weird conservative fantasy about families that only existed in Enid Blighton novels and the minds of backbench Tory MPs. It needs to focus on the way that individualism has in some respects gone too far and that families need to be put front a centre.
But how to do this?
Firstly - Maternity leave needs to be a mandatory 6 months for both fathers and mothers at full pay with an additional six months that can be split between either parent. This would ensure that every child gets a great start in life.
Secondly - Family “ration boxes”. In Finland, they have this beautiful custom where every child born would get necessarily that are needed for a newborn including nappies, formula and even the box doubled up as a crib.
Now the UK should go a step further and have a weekly “ration” box delivered for all families every week in the first six months of a child's development so that it has all the food and nutritional needs.
Thirdly - the inter-generational war needs to end and end soon. What is good for the older generation is generally suitable for the younger generation as well.
And vice-versa. This, of course, will take give and take on both sides and politicians to stop pandering to one side or the other. And the elderly and baby-boom generation need to stop seeing the younger generation as owing them shit.