Polish women in the UK are having babies at a faster rate than those in Poland
By Richard Hartley-parkinson
15th March 2011
Polish women living in the UK are more likely to have children than the British and those living in Poland.
A better benefits system and the NHS have been given as the main reason behind families choosing to have their children here.
The extent to which people are prepared to put down roots in the UK goes some way to dispel the myth that people come here to work say researchers.
The study found that in England and Wales Polish women had 18,000 children in 2009 - making them second in fertility rates only to Pakistani women.
A further 2,000 children of Polish descent were born in Scotland.
The same year British women had a fertility rate of 1.84 compared with 2.48 for the Poles.
The figures have been released by researcher Krystyna Iglicka from the Centre for International Relations.
She said: 'Poles do not behave as immigrants from a country with a low fertility rate.'
One of the reasons believed to be behind the higher number of births is the NHS and the benefits available.
In Poland parents get a one-off payment of £220 when the baby is born and only families on less than £150 qualify for child support.
In fact, the prospect for a Polish mother to have a child in the UK is very appealing: 'Motherhood in exile has only one serious flaw: the lack of support grandparents and other family members.'
The increase in numbers means there are now 130,000 Polish children under the age of 14 living in the UK.
One such mother is Anna Oszewska. She moved to Edinburgh seven years ago when the labour market was opened up to the Poles and worked in a law firm, dealing with its finances.
She had a baby, Nicodemus, with her partner, Martin, almost five months ago and they don't intend on going back to Poland any time soon.
He said: 'We considered whether or not we should have the baby here or in Poland. Quite simply, we decided that this is the right moment for us.'
Professer Iglicka said: 'Contrary to popular belief, today we are no longer dealing with short-term migration, but settlement. The decision to give birth to a child in another country is an attempt to make roots there.
Magda Karlicka in Oxford has had two children, Anthony and Leon. She said: 'We had not planned to stay here for so long, but it is good for us to live here.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1GmMYFvQL
