Have you thought about having (or not having) children or starting a family? This is the question we discussed with 55 participants interviewed in Scotland, Finland and Portugal in our ongoing research project. The responses have been diverse, reflecting the complexity of navigating decisions on parenthood. The aim of this blog is to provide a short update on the project and our ongoing work.

So, what do we already know about the factors influencing childbearing decisions? Europe faces two main demographic challenges: an ageing population and low birth rates. This phenomenon is not new. Birth rates have steadily reduced in Scotland and other European countries for more than 15 years (e.g. total fertility rates decreased from 1.7 in 2007 to 1.29 in 2020) ¹. This pattern has given rise to concern in some European counties, especially in relation to economic and development issues such as lower tax revenues, higher health costs and lack of stability. However, the potential negative economic impacts of low birth rates and raises in longevity have been also questioned. Saving rates and investment amongst older and small populations tend to be high, these being key factors for economic stability². Furthermore, a modest decrease in population size could alleviate pressure on housing demands, cities infrastructure and services, then favouring higher standards of living ².

In response, governments have sought to implement policies and actions. These are often called ‘family friendly policies’ and range from incentives such as paid parental leave and child benefits, through to wider systemic interventions aimed at tackling gender and socio-economic inequalities that might prevent people starting a family. These actions may be promising in tackling downward fertility changes yet are criticised for their framing as an investment in the economy, and neglect of social justice and human rights component of parenthood and family support. Moreover, some scholars have questioned the extent to which these policies can understand the interplay between the demographic, structural, interpersonal and individual factors shaping how and when people start a family. Part of the issue is their reliance on quantitative methods and attitudinal surveys. While these allow us to assess prevalence across populations, they are limited in their ability to gain depth understandings of people’s views, concerns and opinions. The NETREP research team would like family policy making to be informed by as diverse an evidence base as possible. We are therefore focused on collecting qualitative insight into adults’ views and plans of intimate life, family building and reproduction, as well as the socio, cultural, environmental and relational factors that shape those decisions.

Fieldwork in Scotland and Finland started in Autumn 2023 with Portugal starting recently in Spring 2024. Data generated have revealed diverse opinions, ideas and concerns about reproduction. We have heard multiple understandings, both of ‘family’ and plans for intimate lives. We have also seen how individual, interpersonal and structural factors give shape to those thoughts and decision-making processes. For example, against the backdrop of a cost-of-living crisis, respondents expressed concern about the inability to afford child-related expenses (e.g., childcare, leisure activities) and provide adequate housing.

For Liam, these issues were central to childbearing postponement:

… ‘at the moment there’s such a huge cost of living crisis[…] people are spending insane amounts of money on rent and people are relying really on people’s parents essentially having to die to, to inherit, to get any inheritance […] you know the cost of everything is so difficult….I mean, let’s say you look at the cost of a nappy, I don’t know how people afford that so regularly and all that sort of stuff and… […]I don’t have to sit there thinking, right I need to go feed, you know, a human being and all that sort of stuff.’ Liam, 36 years old male.

Interestingly, financial, housing and job stability does not seem to be a concern for most Finnish participants. Most of them feel financially secure and housing related issues are rarely mentioned. This could be related to the nature of Finnish Welfare State which is exemplified by a high standard of living, equality and rates of social expenditure in comparison to other European countries³. We will continue to explore this pattern as the research continues.

A recurrent concern for both the Finnish and Scottish participants was mental health. Interviews found individuals who did not feel emotionally and mentally ready to raise a child. Reflections of life trajectories, adverse childhood experiences, mental health struggles shaped people’s imagined futures as parents. This including doubts about having a ‘real’ paternal feeling and lacking the emotional capacities and skills to bring up a child appropriately.
Notably, only a few respondents expressed anxiety and hopelessness about the current world. In these cases, global conflicts, climate change and a less connected society prompted reflections over whether bringing a child into the world is a responsible action. Jane, for example said:

‘…my biggest reason for not wanting to have a child is like global warming and the state of the world, basically…And how like, I don’t have faith that things are going to get exponentially better, and I would feel pretty guilty, I think, bringing a child into a world where I don’t have hope that it’s going to get better. I think that’s… that’s my biggest reason’. Jane, 31 years old female/multigender

For many respondents, having children was still a clear part of their future. Some expressed curiosity about and excitement about the prospect of parenthood. For others, parenthood was seen as having the potential to bring hope and life purpose. George, for example said:
[…]

‘there’s certain times that I feel that everything’s a bit purposeless and that I’m not doing anything for anyone […] I think that children are in greater purpose and responsibility. I think that nothing will prevent me from feeling purposeless or having time to wallow, that having, you know, a baby that’s crying, or somebody to get up to, to take them to ballet practice, or whatever it gives me uhmm yeah a constant sense of purpose’. George, 25 years old male.

These initial findings reveal the complexities in thinking about, planning or postponing parenthood. Notably, they begin to shed light on the ways large-scale social processes, such as financial stability, interact with micro-level dynamics.

As we go on, we hope to be able to build a bigger picture of people’s perspectives and decisions around their own reproduction, family building and present and future lives. Stay tune for more news…