A recent United Nations report reveals that millions of people worldwide are unable to have the number of children they desire(Birthrate decline)due to financial constraints, lack of quality healthcare, and gender inequality.
The UN Population Fund’s State of the World Population report found that fertility rates have fallen below 2.1 births per woman in more than half of the countries surveyed, with many people citing economic barriers, job insecurity, and expensive housing as reasons for having fewer children than they would like.
According to the report, 39% of people said financial limitations prevented them from having a child, while 21% and 19% of respondents cited job insecurity and fear of the future, respectively, as reasons to avoid reproducing. Notably, only 12% of people cited infertility or difficulty conceiving as the reason for not having the number of children they wanted.
The report’s findings suggest that the world is not facing a crisis of falling birth rates but rather a crisis of reproductive agency. Natalia Kanem, executive director at UNFPA, stated that “fertility rates are falling in large part because many feel unable to create the families they want.” The survey also highlighted significant differences in responses depending on the country, with South Korea and Sweden showing stark contrasts in terms of financial limitations and parental leave policies.
In South Korea, which has the lowest fertility rate in the world, three in five respondents reported financial limitations as an obstacle to having children. In contrast, only 19% of respondents in Sweden, where both men and women are entitled to 480 days of paid parental leave per child, cited financial limitations as a concern.
The UNFPA report urges governments to expand choices by removing barriers to parenthood identified by their populations. Recommended actions include making parenthood more affordable through investments in housing, decent work, paid parental leave, and access to comprehensive reproductive health services.
Arkadiusz Wisniowski, professor of social statistics and demography at the University of Manchester, noted that “the decision to have a child is complex” and that policies aimed at addressing falling fertility rates need to be comprehensive and nuanced. “Governments may need to tax working people more or take on more debt to address the reality of fewer young people,” he said, adding that “fertility isn’t something that you can easily tinker with.”
The report’s findings and recommendations highlight the need for a multifaceted approach to addressing the global fertility crisis, one that prioritizes reproductive agency and empowers individuals to make informed choices about their families.