More fertile debate needed

THERE’S room for a more fertile debate on trends in this country as it relates to women having children.

Speaking with the media on Christmas Day, as he visited the maternity ward of the Mt Hope Women’s Hospital, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh disclosed the fertility rate had fallen.

The rate is the number of children, on average, a woman has during her reproductive years. It moved from 1.2 in 2023 to 0.9 in 2024, according to the minister. He said the replacement rate to keep the population steady is 2.1.

“I’m just sharing the statistics,” Mr Deyalsingh cheekily said. “Please do not ask me what the solution is. I am not here to give you solutions.”

It would seem the St Joseph MP has been seeking to stimulate debate for some time now; he raised this issue earlier this year, as well as last year.

But missing in all of this is the sense of any real penetrating insight into what might be behind the numbers and whether they merit fresh policies.

Mr Deyalsingh’s figures vary slightly from UN statistics, which put the rate at 1.6 for both 2023 and 2024. However, this may reflect small differences in the age range used for calculations.

Regardless of how they were tabulated, the figures point in the same direction. Both sets of values suggest births per woman are falling. Yet, is this necessarily a problem, requiring a “solution” as Mr Deyalsingh jokily put it?

A declining fertility rate has often coincided with a country’s development.

It can reflect greater access to contraceptives, the increased presence of women in the workforce, greater levels of education, gender parity, and better child mortality rates.

The fertility rate has fallen globally to below 2.5, with most of the world living in countries with a fertility rate below 3.

To link falling rates to positive levels of national development, however, is not to rule out possible negative consequences down the road. Families opting out of having children might reflect tough realities.

Parents may feel unable to feed, clothe, house and educate children.

They may not have confidence in access to childcare or quality healthcare. More men may be infertile. Crime and an economy with relatively narrower prospects may factor in decisions.

The fertility rate also needs to be viewed alongside other demographic factors, such as life expectancy, the size of the workforce, and net migration flows.

While Mr Deyalsingh said on this issue, he’s not in office to suggest solutions, the state has a role to play in information-gathering and in the factors that shape the quality of life.

In this regard, it would be great to know more about what women, and not just the minister, are thinking about this issue.