Working from home may help Britain's falling birth rate

A working paper by King's College London and Stanford finds that when both partners work from home at least once a week lifetime fertility rises by about 0.32 children per woman; the UK's fertility rate was 1.41 children per woman in 2024.

A working paper by researchers at King's College London and Stanford University links remote and hybrid work with modest increases in fertility. The authors report that lifetime fertility rises when both partners work from home at least one day a week. They say flexible working can ease childcare arrangements and reduce work-related costs, making family planning more feasible for some couples. The paper frames hybrid working as a relatively low-cost policy option, while noting it does not imply full-time remote work. Key findings: - The paper estimates an average increase of 0.32 children per woman in lifetime fertility when both partners work from home at least once a week. - In the United States the estimated increase can be as much as 0.5 children per woman, and the authors suggest WFH could account for about eight per cent of births there. - The researchers cite mechanisms such as easier childcare arrangements, greater schedule flexibility, and savings from reduced commuting and work-related expenses. - The UK's fertility rate dropped to a record low of 1.41 children per woman in 2024, according to the report's summary of official figures. - The paper estimates potential fertility gains of more than four per cent in countries with very low birth rates, including examples such as Japan and South Korea. Summary: The report suggests that wider adoption of hybrid working could ease barriers to having children and modestly raise fertility rates, a point of relevance given Britain's record-low rate. Undetermined at this time.