The current social and economic landscape means that 78% of young women choose to delay the moment of motherhood. The birth figures make Spain one of the countries with the lowest fertility rate in the world.
The birth rate in Spain is one of the lowest in the world. EFE/ Cavalar
It follows from “I Social Barometer of the perception of Spanish women on motherhood” carried out by the Valencian Infertility Institute (IVI) with the aim of analyzing the behavior and thinking of young women in relation to becoming mothers.
Based on a survey by around 1,000 women aged between 25 and 45, and of a medium, medium-high and high socio-economic level, topics such as fertilitythe motherhood and the assisted reproduction.
The war in Ukraine and rising prices that make life more expensive are some of the reasons to make decisions for the future.
What does the survey say?
The results of the survey reflect that the 78% of the young women among 25 and 29 year olds have delayed their motherhood due to the current socio-economic framework. If the results in a wider age range are taken into account, the percentage is 67%.
And, if in addition the survey extends to all social statuses and economic ranks, the figures reach a 84% of women who delay childbearing.
The doctor María Cerrillo, gynecologist at IVI Madrid, explains: “This is justified by the social and economic status of the respondents, and they are considered to be in a better position than the rest of society. Let’s not forget that we are referring to a segment of medium-high socio-economic level”.
All these figures have generated what they call com “demographic winter”that is to say, an aging population and a decline in the birth rate, which is a burden to replace the current generations.
Low birth rate
The United Nations Organization (UN)for his part, he has carried out the report “World Population Outlook”. A study that shows that in the coming decades, Spain will lose the 35% of its population, passing from 47.5 million of people to 30due to the low birth rate that the country is experiencing.
On the other hand, the National Institute of Statistics (INE)has made public the birth and death data of first semester of 2022, data that sets off alarms. They were born in this first semester less than 160,000 childrenalmost one thousand less than the previous year i 45,000 less than a 2015.
Is the eighth consecutive year that Spain continues to generate declining birthrate data in the first half of the year, this being the lowest since 1941.
Spain: one of the countries with the lowest fertility rate in the world
According to the figures collected by IVI, Spain’s fertility rate is one of the lowest in the world. Specifically, one is born average of 1.28 children per woman, a figure far removed from what would be needed to renew the population, which would be of 2.1 children by wife
This behavior has also been influenced by change of mentality and the current lifestyle of the youngest, who have delayed motherhood by at least a decade.
However, thanks to the advances of the reproductive medicinethe possibilities of having a child have increased, so women who want to be mothers in the future have more scope and resources.
The expert also clarifies that there must be one social change and conciliation“There must be a general change in the type of working hours we have in Spain, it has been shown that teleworking in many professions works and serves perfectly to reconcile. On the other hand, we have to change the concept, if we delay our motherhood for different reasons, a preventive option would be to freeze eggs to be able to use them later”.
Covid-19 and motherhood
The pandemic it has also been a triggering factor in this decline in the birth rate, since for three years, covid-19 was something that scared many women and caused them to delay their motherhood.
Dr. Cerrillo concludes by pointing out that, after the survey, only one 38% of women continue to worry about this, and that little by little, it has been returning to normality.