Namrata Nangia, a pharmaceutical professional in Mumbai, and her husband, employed at a tire company, dream of expanding their family beyond their five-year-old daughter.
Yet, the steep costs of child-rearing—school fees, transportation, extracurricular activities like swimming, and even routine doctor visits—make them hesitate.
"Can we afford another child?" they repeatedly ask themselves. Namrata recalls a simpler childhood without the pressure of costly extracurriculars, a stark contrast to today’s expectations.
A recent United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report highlights that Namrata’s dilemma is increasingly common worldwide. The agency’s strongest statement yet on declining fertility rates warns that millions cannot achieve their desired family size due to financial burdens and challenges finding suitable partners.
Surveying 14,000 people across 14 countries—including South Korea, Italy, Brazil, India, and Nigeria, representing a third of the global population—UNFPA found that one in five people either have not had or expect not to have the number of children they want.
Dr. Natalia Kanem, UNFPA’s head, emphasizes, “The world is experiencing an unprecedented drop in fertility rates. Many feel unable to build the families they envision, and that’s the true crisis.”
The survey, a pilot for a broader study across 50 countries, reveals that 39% of respondents cite financial constraints as a barrier to parenthood, with South Korea reporting the highest concern at 58% and Sweden the lowest at 19%. Only 12% pointed to infertility, though this was higher in countries like Thailand (19%) and India (13%).
Beyond finances, time scarcity is a significant hurdle. Namrata’s three-hour daily commute leaves her drained, torn between work and quality time with her daughter.
“The guilt of not being there enough as a mom is real,” she says, explaining their decision to stick with one child. Demographer Anna Rotkirch, who advises Finland’s government, notes that “undershooting fertility ideals” is a global trend, with 31% of those over 50 regretting having fewer children than desired.
UNFPA urges caution against alarmist policies, warning against manipulative responses to low fertility, such as nationalist or gender-conservative measures.
As countries like China and Japan shift from curbing to encouraging population growth, the agency advocates for balanced approaches to support family aspirations without coercion.
Source: BBC
SMS/
