Tenants in pricier areas postpone starting families because they can't find a home

Women living in pricier neighborhoods are, on average, less likely to have a child. This applies especially to tenants. “Women who cannot make the step to an owner-occupied home in expensive regions postpone having children more often,” Statistics Netherlands (CBS) and the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI) reported.

According to the statistics office, having children is inextricably intertwined with your living situation. “Many people only want to have a child if they have a suitable home,” CBS said. “Since 2010, the number of births per woman in the Netherlands has been falling, while home prices have risen sharply since 2014.”

The CBS and NIDI study found that between 2013 and 2023, women aged 16 to 45 were 10.4 percent less likely to have a child in regions where homes cost an average of 450,000 euros compared to regions where homes cost an average of 200,000 euros.

The decision to postpone or not have children mainly applies to tenants. “Women who rent are 8.4 percent less likely to have a child in areas with an average house price of 450,000 euros than in areas with an average house price of 200,000 euros. Women who own a home are 5.1 percent more likely to have a child in that case.”

Spacious single-family homes with a garden are almost all owner-occupied homes. “Due to price increases, it is becoming more difficult for many people to find such a home.” Tenants are finding it increasingly difficult to enter the owner-occupied housing market. Tenants also often have higher housing costs. And this impacts when they start a family.

According to CBS and NIDI, this study confirms that there are unequal opportunities for family formation in the Netherlands. Previous research showed that women with lower education levels, a flexible contract, or a low income are increasingly less likely to have a child. “These previous studies and the new research from CBS and NIDI all indicate that women with these characteristics - which often occur together - are less able to start a family.”