Home
/ Mom / Pregnancy / Does precariousness divert women from motherhood?
As economic pressure intensifies especially for women, this has a strong impact on their relationship to motherhood. The birth rate is falling in several countries, notably in France, Great Britain and the United States.
Women are reportedly turning away from childbearing due to financial insecurity and this phenomenon appears to be increasing in several countries. According to National Center for Health Statistics, the birth rate in the United States is at its lowest level in 35 years. While the decline is most pronounced among adolescent girls, rates have fallen in almost all age groups. More and more women are postponing their plans to have children, while others think it is better not to extend their families.
This phenomenon is also very present in the United Kingdom. In 2018, the Office for National Statistics recorded a 3.2% drop in the birth rate compared to the previous year and a drop of almost 10% compared to 2012. British women postpone their desire to have children indefinitely due to severe financial insecurity caused by several factors like their professional instability or the problem of affordable housing. Journalist Barbara Ellen admits that for her, it's "of a tragedy".
The reporter recalled that at the start of the confinement, many thought that there could be a new baby boom. However, the opposite could happen because when women or couples are not financially secure, having children is the last thing they consider. The economic factor then seems to increasingly limit personal freedoms, preventing people from making the choices they want to make and forcing them to postpone them. The health crisis is now another factor that pushes women to postpone motherhood.
Women put themselves at higher risk of infertility by postponing pregnancy. The intense economic pressure on young people could then destroy their chances of motherhood. Barbara Ellen admits that she understands that most women take a realistic approach but admits that she encourages those who wish to become mothers not to be stopped by "something as cold as money. "
In France, the birth rate has been declining continuously for 5 years. According to Insee, this could be explained by the decrease in the number of women aged 20 to 40 of reproductive age. This slowdown is also due to the drop in the fertility rate (number of children per woman), which stood at 1.87 children per woman in 2019, compared to 1.88 in 2018.
Women who are in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy would need more space
by Sarah Chekroun