Claims extracted
21
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
14%
3 of 21 hedged
("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
52/100
The Globe and Mail's corrections and
hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Economy/Business
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Women in high-income families are increasingly more likely to have children than those in lower-income households, according to a new Statistics Canada report, highlighting trends that experts say are likely to accelerate.
uncertain
experts → have → trends
The study, released earlier this week, found that women within the top 20 per cent of family incomes had a 14.1-per-cent likelihood of giving birth to a first child in 2023.
asserted
women → release → 2023
That’s more than double the likelihood for women in the bottom quintile of family wealth, who had a 5.6-per-cent chance.
asserted
who → ’ → chance
The research looked specifically at data on women between the ages of 22 and 39 who were employed and living with a married or common-law partner.
“Having children is now a privilege for people with higher incomes,” said Marina Adshade, an associate professor at the University of British Columbia, adding that she expects the trend to continue.
asserted
trend → look → Columbia
Women with higher individual earnings were also slightly more likely to have a child than women with lower incomes, although overall family incomes played a larger role.
asserted
incomes → have → role
As well, women with public-sector jobs had a particularly higher likelihood of having a child.
asserted
women → have → child
In 2017, they were 16.3 per cent more likely than others to have a first birth.
asserted
they → have → birth
The report found that birth rates for public-sector workers were higher regardless of income level, which was notable because differences in other sectors were minimal.
asserted
differences → find → sectors
These trends have grown since 2017, when women in the highest-income families were 2.1 times more likely to have a child than those in the lowest-income families.
asserted
women → grow → families
In 2023, the same group was 2.5 times more likely to have a child.
asserted
group → have → child
“Similar patterns have been observed in other high-income countries, suggesting that economic advantage may be playing an increasing role in who becomes a parent,” the report read.
uncertain
report → observe → role
Prof. Adshade, who has written a book on how economics influence relationships, said the Statscan report runs contrary to the popular narrative that the growth of women in the work force has led to declining fertility rates.
asserted
growth → write → rates
On the other hand, she said, it affirms a different narrative, that the expense of raising children is holding back couples from becoming parents.
asserted
expense → say → couples
Housing was among the fastest-growing cost pressures during the study’s timeline from 2017 to 2023, but Prof. Adshade said child care has become one of the biggest factors holding families back.
asserted
care → grow → families
Kelly Ho, a certified financial planner with DLD Financial Group in Vancouver, said the cost of groceries and other household items is also having an impact on families’ finances and their decisions on whether to have children.
asserted
cost → say → children
“No matter the income bracket, everyone is talking about that,” Ms. Ho said.
asserted
Ho → talk → that
Even when her clients do decide to have a child, she said, the discussion around having additional children is heavily affected by the family’s finances.
asserted
discussion → decide → finances
“When deciding whether to have a second child, they really look closely at their cash flow to see if they can make the maternity leave work and whether they can pay for the child care,” Ms. Ho said.
asserted
Ho → decide → care
She said families often worry about the cost of a second child, since it would effectively require them to stretch the same budget even further.
asserted
it → say → budget
Ms. Ho observed that Gen Z clients are extremely financially conscientious and are coming of age under difficult economic circumstances.
asserted
clients → observe → circumstances
She cited this as another reason she thinks the trends highlighted in Statscan’s report could continue.
uncertain
trends → cite → report