A fine set of statistics on relative pregnancy rates of girls aged under 16 in today's Metro. In short, the number of pregnancies per 1,000 girls is nearly eighteen times as high in boroughs with low incomes/high unemployment/large black and ethnic minority communities as it is in the most genteel borough of all.
Which further supports my thesis that teenage girls look at the economics when deciding whether to become pregnant or not: a girl with poor job prospects stands to gain enormously by having* a baby or two; whereas a middle class lass looking forward to doing A-levels and a reasonable career obviously stands to lose out enormously by doing so.
* amended
A language of our own
34 minutes ago
6 comments:
So besides the CBI, which I can't seeing being £175pw plus getting priority on coucil housing, how else do we get them out of this mind set?
As to CBI levels, I'd go with the CIT's politically neutral suggestion of age 0-17 £34 a week, 18-24 £48, aged 25-64 £60. (Of course, people could waive the CBI and choose a much higher personal allowance for tax if they wish). This in place of all other cash benefits and tax credits etc (housing benefit - to be replaced with workfare jobs)
The mindset will sort itself out in next to no time - once there is no financial incentive to having babies at such a ridiculously oung age, people will stop doing it.
That leaves us with existing single mothers - if you are a softie, what you'd say is that existing single mums get some sort of transitional top up for a few years.
Habing a baby? Surely habing a vaby
Simple you get them out of this mindset by bringing back the workhouse or making sure they stay in school until 18 and that if they do habe a vaby that they get no house. They have to stay with their parents.
MArk,
The point I ws making is that you are only proposing £34 per week when currently they are getting £175, which I presume that this will dissapear? We don't need a CBI to do that.
As for current single mums I suppose we have some sort of contract with them so yes some sort of top up will have to be found. Of corse the downside is that this will encourage others who will scream "its not fair" and we will still end up subsidising them.
I suppose Henry is right, the workhouse is the short term solution.
£175 is figure for over-25s with two kids (includes all benefits and tax credits). The amount is less if you are younger. Under the CBI, an over-25 Mum gets £60 + £34 + £34 = £128 per week, so she can tap absent Dad(s) for the rest AFAIAC. Or again, we could have a transitional thing of £25 per kid per week, phased out over five years or so.
Sorry I couldnt resist...
I love spoonerisms
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