Putting a price tag on children.

Abstract

"This chapter shows that...there are many different aspects to the cost of a child and...many different measures have been developed. The chapter...argues that theories of fertility need to specify carefully the definition of child costs and that the assumptions underlying existing measures need to be made plain.... The review is divided into three major sections: babies, childcare and children. The sources covered range from popular magazines and Mothercare catalogues to the only large-scale official [U.K.] survey of maternity and its costs, undertaken in 1946. The items covered range from the price of babies' essentials to the fees at schools...as well as the costs of maintaining a child at university."