“Uncertainty is increasing and couples are more likely to refrain from starting and expanding families,” says the Professor of Sociology in op-ed.
Due to reforms in family policy in the 2000s, German birth rates have risen to around 1.5 children per woman. But this positive trend might face a reverse, writes Hertie School Professor of Sociology Michaela Kreyenfeld in an op-ed in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung from 24 May. Multiple crises and failed political opportunities might be the reasons, she writes with Federal Institute for Population Research Director Prof. Martin Bujard.
Taking a look at population data from Sweden, the researchers see a link between the decision to start a family and the economic well-being of a couple – a trend that did not exist in the past. Another factor for Sweden’s declining birth rates might be stagnating gender roles. The researchers predict similar developments for Germany, where recent data is not yet available.
“In view of multiple crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation and the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, uncertainty is increasing and couples might be more likely to postpone or refrain from starting and expanding a family,” Kreyenfeld and Bujard write. “Another dimension is the climate crisis, which has (re)ignited the question of parenthood, especially among younger people,” they add.
Read the whole op-ed in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
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Michaela Kreyenfeld, Professor of Sociology