By Nick Newling,Shane Wright

Copyright brisbanetimes

In 2005, 8 per cent of women and 11 per cent of men did not want children. That has climbed to 14 per cent and 15 per cent respectively. More than a quarter of both sexes either don’t want a baby or just a single child, almost matching the proportion who want three or more.

For the first time since the survey started, the desired number of children by either sex across all age groups has fallen below 2.1, which is the natural replacement level for a population.

Among women aged 18 to 49, almost 85 per cent said that cost was an important or very important factor holding them back from having a child.

While more than 70 per cent said having someone to love was important in deciding to have a child, other economic factors such as the security of a partner’s job (78 per cent), the availability and affordability of childcare (75 per cent) and being able to buy a home (67 per cent) were also vital.