Declining Birth Rates and Later Marriage

The question

How to approach this problem and solution question

A problem and solution essay needs specific causes or problems first, then realistic solutions that match them.

1. Introduce the issue and why it matters.
2. Body 1: the main problems or causes, with examples.
3. Body 2: solutions that clearly link to each problem, saying who should act.
4. Conclude by summarising the best solution.

How to plan this answer

Structure

1. Introduction: paraphrase the trend of later marriage and falling birth rates, and state that you will address both the causes and the government response.
2. Body 1: the main causes, such as the cost of housing, longer time in education and the pressure of work on young adults.
3. Body 2: practical measures, such as affordable housing for young families, childcare support and flexible working.
4. Body 3: a further measure, such as parental leave and tax support for families, and the limits of what policy can achieve.
5. Conclusion: summarise the causes and say which measure the government should prioritise.

Idea bank

• House prices in many cities have risen faster than wages, so young adults may delay buying a home until they have saved a deposit.
• Longer periods of study mean that many people do not enter stable employment until their late twenties, which delays decisions about starting a family.
• Childcare costs can make a second child seem unaffordable for many couples, particularly where both parents work full time.
• Subsidised childcare places and generous parental leave can reduce the financial barrier to having children for families on middle incomes.
• Flexible working arrangements allow parents to remain in employment while caring for young children, which can encourage them to have a family.
• Tax allowances for dependants, when set at a meaningful level, can help families with the costs of raising children.

Useful vocabulary

• birth rate: The birth rate has fallen steadily over several decades.
• delay starting a family: Many couples delay starting a family until their careers are established.
• affordable housing: Affordable housing is a key factor in whether young couples can settle down.
• parental leave: Generous parental leave can make it easier for parents to care for a new baby.
• childcare costs: High childcare costs deter some couples from having a second child.
• demographic: The falling birth rate has serious consequences for the country's demographic balance.
• an ageing population: An ageing population places greater pressure on pensions and health services.
• a contributing factor: Housing costs are a major contributing factor to later marriage.
• it is worth considering: It is worth considering whether tax incentives would change behaviour.
• in the long run: In the long run, supporting families may ease pressure on the workforce.

Common mistakes

• Writing about the causes of later marriage in general terms, such as 'people are more selfish', instead of naming a specific economic or social cause.
• Proposing a government measure without explaining how it would affect the decisions of young adults.
• Suggesting that governments should simply pay people to have children, without considering the wider effects on families or the costs involved.
• Confusing marriage with having children, and treating them as the same decision when they may follow different timelines.
• Assuming that all countries face the same causes, rather than acknowledging that the pressures vary between cities, regions and national contexts.

Examiner tip: Link each government measure to a cause you have already named, so the solutions read as a direct response to the problem.