How would the State encourage people to have more children?
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What are the current birth rate trends in Ireland?
The number of registered births in the state has fallen by almost 18% in the last decade, according to the Central Statistics Office. While the marriage rate has fallen to its lowest recorded level outside of the pandemic years, we're having fewer children and we're planning our families much later than before. So what's prompting that change? Are we witnessing... A cultural shift away from motherhood as the default life path? Are we just too busy to have more babies? Or is the housing crisis to blame? Joining me now for more on this are Dr. Joan Cronin, lecturer in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at University College Cork, and Mary McCarthy, columnist with the Irish Independent. Good morning to you both.
You're very welcome. Joan, I might start with you. Good morning to you. Good morning, David. How are you? I'm very well, thanks. Now, obviously, there is an economic dimension to this. An ageing population needs more children born who can join the workforce and pay a growing pension bill.
What cultural shifts are influencing family planning decisions?
And I'm very grateful to all those young people who'll be paying my pension. But is that the way we should be looking at this particular issue?
I suppose, David, I'm coming at it from the perspective of non-motherhood in particular, which is very closely linked to declining birth rates in Ireland. And I suppose what has changed over the past number of decades is that women in particular have more choices available to them, particularly since the 60s and 70s with the introduction of free education flocking to the workforce. And I suppose there's less of an influence from a Catholic perspective. So in that regard, women are consciously choosing if and indeed when to have children. And increasing numbers of women are making the conscious decision not to have children. There's no doubt the financial crisis, the state of the world, wars... ethical and humanitarian concerns are contributing.
But another factor is the fact that women have the choice available to them today. That's something that wasn't available to them historically.
Yeah. Now you describe yourself as child free by choice. Is it easier now, more acceptable now to decide to make that decision? I mean, there wouldn't be the judgment that there would have been in years gone by, would there?
There is, David. There's no question about it. From my own perspective and from the perspective of the women that I interviewed for my research, there is what one would sometimes refer to as a stigma or indeed negative judgment. The decision is not accepted as valid or legitimate. It's consistently questioned. Even still? Even still, it's challenged, it's questioned by family. There's an assumption that every woman should not only have a child, but should want to have a child. And it's not accepted as a legitimate or valid life choice.
How do economic factors affect decisions to have children?
So I suppose, look, we've all had questions and challenges put toward us. I know... Like you'd make a great mother. You're losing out. Who's going to look after you when you're older? They are some of the comments that I've come across, you know, in my journey. I suppose from a family perspective, my decision has always been accepted and it's never been challenged by my family or by my friends. But then I've always known that I didn't want to have children. I suppose for me, non-motherhood is as natural as motherhood is to other women. But no doubt, David, there is still a stigmatisation around it.
OK, I want to bring in Mary McCarthy, columnist with the Irish Independent. Morning, Mary.
Good morning.
Now, we were just discussing there, there are financial aspects to all of this. It's obviously, there's no doubt there are costs to having children, but should finance dictate women's choices about having babies, do you think?
So there definitely is a financial element, right? I think it's wider than that. I think it's society, it's cultural. Joan is completely right. Every woman, every... The choice to be there, nobody is saying that we should take that choice away, but... I think what we need to do, we need to have this conversation first of all, because governments should be trying to reverse this, because it is going to be huge.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What are the current birth rate trends in Ireland?
0:00–0:50
2
What cultural shifts are influencing family planning decisions?
0:50–2:34
3
How do economic factors affect decisions to have children?
2:34–6:45
4
What role do societal expectations play in motherhood choices?
6:45–13:03
5
How can financial incentives encourage higher birth rates?
13:03–15:42