To be or not to be… a parent? Expert panel to discuss the pressures of one of life’s biggest decisions

Register for your free ticket to our virtual event: The Parenthood Question

To be or not to be a parent... that is the question (Getty Images)

For people deciding whether to start a family, there are all sorts of things to consider.

When women in particular approach “the big 3-0”, people often think it’s OK to ask when they’re going to start having babies.

For women, and less-so for men, there is the question of fertility and the notion of the “ticking biological clock”. Couples may find as soon as they seem to be committed or married, the next question is: “When are you having kids?”, as The Independent’s Lifestyle editor Harriet Hall explores in a recent piece where she took a so-called ‘Fertility MOT’.

Women over 35 are referred to as “geriatric mothers” and may face a decline in fertility towards and beyond 40. For same-sex couples, or people who want to have babies on their own, they face the huge costs of IVF or finding a suitable co-parent or surrogate.

The Parenthood Question virtual event: Sign up for your free ticket here

Some people are childless by circumstance - be it infertility, not meeting the right partner or for financial reasons. And some people are childless by choice.

When it comes to costs, parents-to-be face the rising cost of living, including the soaring price of childcare.

It’s a vast topic. One that we are going to attempt to explore in a free virtual event: The Parenthood Question.

Join host Harriet Hall with an expert panel including The Independent’s Women’s Correspondent Maya Oppenheim, Professor Pragya Agarwal, Behavioural and Data Scientist and author of books including (M)otherhood, Professor Joyce Harper, author of Your Fertile Years and mother of three IVF children, Yvonne John, author and Gateway Women facilitator for the involuntarily childless, and Caspar Salmon, co-parent, author and podcaster.

This free virtual event will take place on 23 March at 6.30pm and will last one hour.

To find out more and to sign up click here.

This event will be available to watch on demand afterwards for registered users.