How to boost the birth rate?
The birth rate in the EU has dropped to a record low. The statistical average number of children per woman is now 1.34, compared to 2.62 in 1964. This downwards trend is making it increasingly difficult for governments to maintain stable tax revenues and sustain pension and healthcare systems. Commentators look into how to make Europe more family-friendly.
Security plays key role in starting a family
Liberal politician Ona Aleksiūnaitė calls in Delfi for long-term measures to support families:
“More successful European countries don't rely on individual benefits but on a comprehensive system that reduces the financial burden of raising children. In France, a family-friendly tax system is one of the key instruments: the more children a family has, the lower their tax burden. ... The Scandinavian countries invest heavily in affordable childcare, more flexible working hours, a stable income during parental leave and a better work-life balance. ... This is important because the decision to have children is increasingly becoming a question of financial viability and quality of life – and less a purely emotional decision.”
Working mums are an asset
Rzeczpospolita bemoans the ongoing discrimination against mothers in the workplace:
“The labour market is complaining about the lack of qualified staff, the lack of commitment and loyalty among employees, yet some companies still treat young mothers as a risk rather than as individuals with enormous potential. To turn this around will take more than the odd social media post on Mother's Day. More even than a change in the law – after all the regulations implementing the [EU]Work-Life Balance Directive have not produced any spectacular results. What is needed is a change of mentality. ”
Be realistic about population decline
We should not entertain unrealistic expectations, hvg warns:
“It was not just the departing Orbán government that failed to make any significant improvements in the [demographic] trend, the Tisza Party has also included in its manifesto the completely unrealistic goal of halting population decline by 2035 and returning to ten million inhabitants by 2050, compared with just under 9.5 million at present. A shrinking population would cause serious problems: by 2030, the number of people in work will have fallen by several hundred thousand compared with the middle of the decade. … By 2030, school classes will have to start with far fewer children than today, and action will also need to be taken on pensions.”