Rise of couples ‘choosing to have pets instead of babies’

23 May 2025, 13:17

An increase in couples choosing to have a pet instead of babies could be contributing to the declining birthrate in western countries, a new study has suggested.

The UK’s birthrate has been consistently falling since 2010, with data showing it dropped in England and Wales to an average of 1.44 children per woman in 2023, the lowest on record.

This could be because “an increasing number of owners have begun to regard their dogs as their children”, meaning they can “fulfil a nurturing drive similar to parenting, but with fewer demands”, new analysis has found.

The research, published in the journal European Psychologist, found that 16 percent of dog owners considered their dog to be their child.

Discussing this group of people, the study said: “Dog owners with this attitude refer to themselves as ‘petparents’, for whom the dog is nothing less than a cherished, furry baby.”

Given these “new trends”, the researchers from the Department of Ethology at Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest, Hungary, which specialises in studying dog behaviour, questioned whether people are “choosing dogs as a substitute for children”.

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The researchers said “referring to dogs as children” allows humans to take their “biological needs to nurture and care for children” and “redirect [it] towards animals”.

“Some childless owners seem to engage in care behaviours towards their companion animals that mirror parents’ investment in their children,” they added.

Despite many people having both dogs and children, with the study finding “dog parenting can coexist with child parenting”, and the fact that “caring for a pet might enhance people’s parenting skills”, the responsibility of owning a canine first may put people off having a baby.

The study said: “The demands of caring for a companion animal have been found to reinforce the choice not to have children among some pet owners.”

The research also found that one of the appeals of owning a dog over a child is that they “can permanently remain in the ‘small child’ status”, meaning owners “control basically all aspects of the dog’s life.”

Out of the various options for pets, dogs are particularly likely to make “good candidates for filling child-like roles”, the report added, given the perception of their “loyalty, selflessness and devotion to their owners”.

However, the study emphasised that “differences persist between the two” and owners are “aware of this”, saying that “in most cases, dog parents choose dogs precisely because they are not like children”.