Geboortecijfers in Europa geremd door economische factoren en zorgen om toekomst (en)
A fertility behaviour project funded by the European Commission shows that more than half the people questioned would on average like at least two children. However, a great number of couples actually have fewer, due to worries about the future and the cost of raising children.
The DIALOG project collected data from 30,000 people in 14 European countries on their attitudes and opinions concerning family numbers, fertility behaviour and demographic change. Financed with €1.5 m from the Sixth Framework research programme, the project provides a useful snapshot of European fertility behaviour for policy-makers at national and European level.
The study shows that average desired fertility in Europe is still in line with the two child family. More than half of all those questioned, whether male or female, wanted to have two or more children. There is a difference though, between the real and the desired number of children in countries like Cyprus, Poland, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Hungary and the Netherlands. There is also a drop of the desired number of children to below two in Germany, Italy, Austria and Belgium and the Czech Republic.
The researchers concluded that countries with a low desired number of children face the task of encouraging more family-friendly attitudes. The considerable share of those wanting no children in some countries (highest in Germany and the Netherlands) would call into question whether family policy will be able to promote more births.
When asked about their expectations of family policy the differences in answers from one Member State to another show that a "one size fits all" approach to family policy will not work. For example, those questioned in Western European countries tended to be more in favour of a combination of financial support and flexible working hours, while those from Eastern European countries favoured of combining full-time employment with family.
The declining importance attached to the institution of marriage and the rise in divorce rates do not necessarily translate into fewer births. In fact, births have remained steady over the last ten years in the range of 1.2-1.4 children, with the ratio of children born to unmarried mothers rising to 30%-40%. However having children within marriage remains the preferred choice, especially in Southern and Eastern European countries, with approval rates of 80% in Italy, Lithuania and Poland. On the other hand, living together without having children is also becoming more acceptable, for example 26%-31% approval in countries like the Czech Republic, Germany and the Netherlands.
Other issues examined by the project include attitudes to women at work, gender roles and the distribution of housework within families. The survey also looks at the situation of the elderly in Europe, showing that elderly people are viewed as having a value to society, and younger generations expressing their willingness to help the elderly where needed.
The Commission will present a communication on demography in March 2006 based on the discussion launched by the Green Paper on "Confronting demographic change: a new solidarity between the generations" in March 2005 and following the Summit in Hampton Court in October 2005.
For more information on the DIALOG project: