Is parenthood held in contempt?

Guardian Unlimited | Columnists | Madeline Bunting: Our culture of contempt for parenthood

Madeline Bunting's column above is interesting, and the reasons she gives for low birthrates in Britain (essentially, that having children now goes against the cultural "values" of independence and consumerism) sounds somewhat plausible in the context of, say, the US and Australia as well as Britain.

However, as I noted in an earlier post, birth rates across all of Europe vary wildly, with Italy, Spain, Greece and Germany having substantially lower rates than Britain (which has about Australia's rate of 1.75 children per women.) The arguments that Bunting makes would, to my mind, make less sense in the more "macho" European countries, where one imagines that the independence of women is not emphasised quite so much. (I am just guessing here, remember.) Yet their rates are even lower than Britains.

Also, what accounts for the relatively high rates in France and Ireland? Both of these countries would seem to be as consumer orientated as Britain, but their birth rates are at 1.9 and 1.99 respectively. Maybe Muslims account for Frances high rate, but surely that can't apply to Ireland?

I guess each country can have their own particular reasons for their rates, but it is curious phenomena that there is such a variation across Europe. Discussions of cultural factors affecting the rate seem to me to usually be speculation without subtantial evidence behind them.