Financial constraints big driver of global ‘fertility crisis,’ UN finds
CNN
Job insecurity and unaffordable housing are among the biggest reasons why millions of people worldwide can’t have the number of children they want, the United Nations said Tuesday, calling for “urgent action” to address the “fertility crisis.”
Job insecurity and unaffordable housing are among the biggest reasons why millions of people worldwide can’t have the number of children they want, the United Nations said Tuesday, calling for “urgent action” to address the “fertility crisis.” Together with market research firm YouGov, the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency UNFPA conducted a survey across 14 countries to find out whether people are able to have the families they want. They found that almost a fifth of adults of reproductive age do not believe they will be able to have as many children as they would like, the UN said in a report Tuesday. “Financial limitations” were reported as a factor for this by 39% of the 10,000 respondents who have or want to have children. In the Republic of Korea, South Africa and Thailand, more than half of such respondents cited this barrier. Unemployment or job security was the second-most common factor, reported by 21% of the respondents worldwide, with the third being housing constraints. Nearly one in five people mentioned fears about the future, including climate change, wars and pandemics, as a reason.
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