Declining Birth Rate in Italy

"Beauty has no age limit. Fertility does."

Italy currently has the lowest birthrate in the European Union, with only eight babies being born for every 1,000 residents in 2015 (Edwards, 2016). There are twice as many mothers giving birth over the age of 40, with 31.6 being the average age that mothers have their first child (Edwards, 2016). The average Italian woman has 1.34 children, lower than the average among non-nationals (1.95) (“Ageing Italy’s birthrate has hit a record low - The Local,” 2017). In 2015, there were fewer births than any year since the Unification of Italy in 1861 (Giuffrida, 2016).

According to Italian News (The Local) the real reason that women are not having children is due to “high unemployment, low wages, weak maternity rights and inadequate childcare provision” (“Italian fertility campaign scrapped after backlash,” 2016). As women wait longer to have children, there is a decrease in the number of women of childbearing age (“Ageing Italy’s birthrate has hit a record low - The Local,” 2017).

"Male fertility is much more
vulnerable than you might think."

In a 2014 effort to combat the declining birth rate, Prime Minister Matteo Renzi implemented a “baby bonus” for low-and-middle income families, providing them 80-euro a month to have a child (Giuffrida, 2016). In 2016, The Health Minister (Beatrice Lorenzin) proposed doubling the “baby bonus” and providing higher payments for subsequent children; however, women are wanting Italy to stimulate the birth rate in ways other than a “baby bonus.” They would like women with children to be given the opportunity and flexibility to work, or for the government to provide child care assistance. There is no correlation between a “baby bonus” and birth rate, but there is a correlation between women having more children and the services that are available to them (Giuffrida, 2016).

"Young parents. The best way to be creative."

In 2016, Italy’s Health Minister (Lorenzin) launched a campaign to implement a Fertility Day that would raise awareness about issues surrounding fertility and encourage women to have children at a younger age. This campaign was very controversial and caused an outcry among many Italians and worldwide (“Italian fertility campaign scrapped after backlash,” 2016). I have included pictures of the advertisements that were used with translated captions showcasing why they were controversial.

This post was written by Audrey Rehberg, a first-year doctoral student in Consumer Science from Westfield, IN. Her research interests include male and female sexual health issues and the correlates of sexual pleasure. 

Ageing Italy’s birthrate has hit a record low - The Local. (2017, March 6). Retrieved July 14, 2017, from https://www.thelocal.it/20170306/ageing-italys-birthrate-has-hit-a-record-low

Edwards, C. (2016, September 23). The real reasons young Italians aren’t having kids - The Local. Retrieved July 14, 2017, from https://www.thelocal.it/20160923/the-real-reasons-young-italians-arent-having-kids

Giuffrida, A. (2016, May 17). Why Italy’s facing a birth rate apocalypse. Retrieved July 14, 2017, from https://www.thelocal.it/20160517/why-italys-facing-a-birth-rate-apocalypse

Italian fertility campaign scrapped after backlash. (2016, September 2). Retrieved July 14, 2017, from https://www.thelocal.it/20160902/italian-fertility-campaign-scrapped-after-furious-backlash