Women who choose homebirth, according to Australian research, tend to be older and more educated than the general population. In some places, homebirth is a more affordable choice than hospital birth because of the low need for expensive medical procedures. Homebirth midwives also tend to charge a lower fee than obstetricians, despite the much bigger time commitment that they make to in prenatal visits (usually at least 30 minutes each visit) and labour care, where a midwife may be present for many hours.