It’s not just ignorance that stops us having babies. It’s also poor relationships

Birth rates in the UK have been declining, but the reasons are more complex than women not being ‘aware of their biological clock’. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

So often, the answer to big societal challenges gets boiled down to the school curriculum. High levels of obesity? Let’s get schools to teach healthy eating. Too many people in debt? Financial literacy should be taught to every pupil. Concerned about the dangers of social media? Digital literacy lessons for all.

Of course there’s nothing wrong with making sure children and young people are informed about how to keep themselves healthy and safe. But there is a danger not just of overloading schools but of kidding ourselves that the answer to structural and social phenomena is a bit more education.