FNS Population Fund (UNFPA) revealed its flagship The world’s population Report Tuesday, warning that an increasing number of people are denied the freedom to start families due to skyrocketing living costs, sustained gender inequality and elaborating on the uncertainty about the future.
The title The Real Fertility Crisis: The persecution of reproductive agency in a world’s changing worldIf the report claims that what is really threatened is people’s ability to choose freely when – and about – to have children.
The report draws on a recent UNFPA/YouGov survey covering 14 countries that together represent 37 percent of the global population.
Money concerns
Economic barriers were the top factor, with 39 percent of respondents cited financial restrictions as the main reason for having fewer children than they would like.
Fear of the future – from climate change to war – and job insecurity followed, cited by 19 percent and 21 percent of respondents respectively.
Thirteen percent of women and eight percent of men pointed to the unequal division of domestic labor as a factor in having fewer children than desired.
The study also revealed that one in three adults has experienced an accidental pregnancy, one in four felt unable to have a child at their favorite time, and one in five reported to be pressured to have children they did not want.
Solutions to the fertility crisis
The report warns against simplified and compulsive reactions to declining birth rates, such as baby bonuses or fertility goals, which are often ineffective and risk infringing human rights.
Instead, UNFPA encourages governments to expand elections by removing barriers to parenting identified by their population.
Recommended actions include making parenting more affordable through investments in housing, decent work, paid parental leave and access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare.
Immigration factor
The agency also calls on governments to see immigration as a key strategy to tackle labor shortages and maintain economic productivity in the midst of declining fertility.
In terms of gender inequality, the report requires tackle stigma against fathers involved, norms in the workplace pushing mothers out of the workforce, restrictions on reproduction rights and expansion of gender holes in attitudes among younger generations that contribute to increasing simplicity.
