With over 700 births to unmarried girls (and of course the boys who are the hidden daddies!) last year, everyone it seems wants to be a “yummy mummy” these days. There is no sense of doom and gloom, although the parents of these yummy mummies might not be too pleased. Motherhood without marriage is in, and policy-makers need to take notice.

Not for many of these girls will there be a life of shame and hardship. Not that I would want that, of course, but there is no God-given right to have as many babies as one wants and expect society to just foot the bill. Mistakes happen, and boys and girls have sex while only the girls get the label of “single parent”, sure, but there is a limit, and 700 new dependents on the state in one year alone does not indicate a few “mistakes” but a very new and very expensive cultural trend.

As you see so many of them confidently and happily strutting around, dressed to the nines, texting their current and future partner (and possibly daddy of offspring number two!) with their kids as comfortable designer accessories, you realise there has been a revolution here, and it has taken a remarkably short time to happen.

After all, in 2000 there were only around 400 of these births. Last year this has almost doubled to 700. Adding to the existing number, of course, and what if this number doubles again? Can all our services cope? Just project the cost of adding another 700 families a year to the many thousands who live off social security, and you get a scary picture of how some people will work to pay their taxes, and too many will use those taxes as their pocket-money.

In very many cases, boyfriend is around and is contributing, because otherwise these girls would not be so well decked out, would not use their mobiles with such abandon and would not have social lives that are the envy of many.

A few years ago when I wrote about this impending crisis, and called it a “pocket-money culture”, where the so-called relief was just the pocket money and then there was either undeclared work or boyfriend to top up, I was heavily criticised as being insensitive.

But looking around now, with the figure almost doubling in four years, one can clearly see that this culture is now firmly rooted and sprouting many more shoots!

Then, of course, there are the real yummy mummies who are not at all dependent on the state for their yummy mummy lifestyle. Real yummy mummies are a bit different. They usually start by marrying someone more than a bit solvent. Someone who supplies the 4x4 for the kids’ school run, someone who pays for the regular blow-dries and designer-sleek, bottle-blonde hair. Someone who can supply whatever bit of Bulgari or other designer accessory that is “in” at the time. Someone who can also take the family on holiday to wherever it is a must to go to that season. Mums who are much, much too busy to work, because in fact they do work. Very hard . They look after their children well and work very hard on their appearance.

And it shows and has spawned the term “yummy mummy”. Remember mums looking tired and dishevelled at the school gate? Not any more. Many have spent the morning at the gym or semi socialising at one of the classes laid on for yummy mummies. Their day is a lovely whirl of keeping the home nice (with the help of maid or other of course), fitting in classes or tennis, beach in the afternoon with the kids, and looking near perfect by the time chubby hubby returns home in the evening, or night.

Because to keep a real yummy mummy requires a very hard-working daddy, preferably already inheriting an established business, or dynam.ic enough to keep a yummy mummy happy.

Yummy mummies are high maintenance and happy with it. They have won the golden prize of a lifestyle so many today covet for themselves, whatever they may say to the contrary. Having children and not working, except at being a yummy mummy, that’s the new status symbol.