Way past childbearing? There are ways Baby Boomers (and Gen X) can help their kids have kids

I’ve been told my idea of addressing Australia’s fertility decline - through the physical and emotional labour of grandparents - is ‘quite mad’.

June 11, 2026 — 7:30pm

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There is one quick fix for the fertility crisis. Of course, it’s about love. But it’s also about money. Money – usually – fixes everything.

Here’s what you can do to help. You are still living in your multiple bedroom house, and you’ve lived in it since your own kids were babies. They’ve moved out leaving all their crap behind. Now you are complaining to your friends that your kids aren’t delivering you your rightful grandchildren.

So, invite your kids to move in. You don’t charge them rent because, with any luck, you are not paying a modern mortgage (average nearly three-quarters of a million bucks). And suddenly, the financial pressure is off. Maybe you have kids who are thinking about having kids but are wary of the financial and care hurdles in front of them, or you have kids who really want kids, this is the perfect way to help make it happen (nah, bullying them won’t work. Not everyone wants children).

And just a quick point before everyone starts jumping up and down about this not being an option for everyone. Myra Hamilton, sociologist and associate professor at the University of Sydney who focuses on gender, work and care research, says it’s not just wealthy grandparents who are pitching in.........

© The Sydney Morning Herald