Three Kids Are the New Status Symbol

Has having three kids become a status symbol in Canada?In this episode of DemograFix, Cara Stern and Mike Moffatt explore why having three children has become a luxury for many middle-class Canadian families. From the cost of family-sized housing to childcare, career sacrifices, transportation, and the changing expectations placed on parents, they break down why so many families stop at two, even when they wanted more.The conversation also looks at Canadian and international research on fertility, Quebec's childcare experiment, why family-sized homes have almost disappeared from our cities, and what governments would actually need to change if they want Canadians to have the families they hope for.If you've ever wondered why three kids now feels like a status symbol, this episode explains the economics behind it.Topics covered:Why Canada's fertility rate has reached record lowsIs a third child becoming a luxury good?How housing shortages shape family sizeWhy family-sized homes are disappearingThe hidden career costs of having childrenDoes affordable childcare actually increase birth rates?Why cities are losing young familiesWhat policies could make raising larger families affordable againChapters:00:00 Why 3 Kids Are Becoming a Rich Person's Luxury00:58 When Families Become Status Symbols03:03 The Housing Crisis is Eliminating the Third Child05:09 Canada Stopped Building Family Homes06:28 The Big Childcare Problem07:55 Does Cheap Childcare Actually Boost Birth Rates?12:15 The Real Cost of a Third Baby15:07 Families Are Being Forced Out of Cities17:20 How Canada Could Make Three Kids Affordable AgainResearch/links:More Crowding, Fewer Babies: The Effects of Housing Density on Fertility | Institute for Family Studies https://ifstudies.org/blog/more-crowding-fewer-babies-the-effects-of-housing-density-on-fertilityThe ultimate status symbol? A big familyhttps://www.ft.com/content/a4025e93-7552-4f8f-8ce2-e785a7d950a4?syn-25a6b1a6=1Opinion | Three Kids? You Showoffs. - The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/2008/04/06/three-kids-you-showoffs/6b7952ed-4547-4f9b-ae9b-cd9d2f1d8aa0/Why are some families with children leaving the inner city and other staying? https://www.scup.com/doi/10.18261/njus.2.1.2Home Alone | Cardus https://www.cardus.ca/research/family/reports/home-alone/Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina MaddeauxProduced by Meredith MartinFunded by the Neptis Foundation https://neptis.org/