Petition · past parliament · Department of Health and Social Care
Require collection of birth registration data on both parents’ previous children
Closed
30 signatures
What the petition asks
Recently, various news outlets published articles with headlines like: 'Record numbers of women reach 30 child-free in England and Wales'. With no equivalent figures for men. Data should be collected at birth registrations on how many children both parents have previously had, not only mothers.
The ONS explains that:
'The methods used to create cohort fertility require use of data collected at birth registration from women on the number of previous children they have had. At present the birth registration system does not collect information on the number of previous children a man has had. Without this information it is not possible to produce estimates of the proportion of men who have not fathered a child.'
The Government should require this information to be collected in the birth registration process.
'The methods used to create cohort fertility require use of data collected at birth registration from women on the number of previous children they have had. At present the birth registration system does not collect information on the number of previous children a man has had. Without this information it is not possible to produce estimates of the proportion of men who have not fathered a child.'
The Government should require this information to be collected in the birth registration process.
Timeline
| 4 Feb 2022 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 4 Aug 2022 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
30
Status
Closed
Department
Department of Health and Social Care
Opened
4 Feb 2022
Closed
4 Aug 2022
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.