Georgia managed to boost birth rates without spending money. Here’s what Spain and the West could learn to have more children

In Spain, and in the West in general, the crisis of inflation, housing and employment is compounded by the birth rate crisis. The future is uncertainbecause as the living conditions of young people worsen, the purchasing power of families decreases and they move towards job insecurity, it is becoming more difficult to consider having children. But aside from the economic aspect, In Spain, other social and even recognition issues come into play..

The mentality of society has changedthere is a commitment to living a more carefree life, without obligations. This is perhaps what is causing the success of ‘tourism without children’. Hotels or restaurants where children are not allowed. For the new generations, Having children is seen more as an inconvenienceas a brake on their freedom, rather than as a moral obligation or a gift.

Birth rate in Spain

Spain has a serious problem with birth ratesIn 2021, it ranked 188th in the world ranking in terms of the number of annual births, being one of the lowest rates in Europe and the world.

The explanation is that We have fewer children than we want. According to Juan Jose Espirospresident of the Spanish Fertility Society, no one usually opts for something that will not provide them with a certain amount of economic, personal and job security.

A few years ago, motherhood and fatherhood in our country were considered almost an obligation, while now they are simply a personal choice. In Spain, 13 billion euros less are spent per year than the European average in raising children.

Unless there is a drastic change in the birth rate situation, the family structure will be weakened and, therefore, the support networks for employment, care and economic well-being of the country. 50.1% of babies born in Spain in 2022 were born out of wedlock.

Statisticsdemonstrate that it is necessary Expand and improve access to assisted reproduction treatments. Almost 20% of the Spanish population has infertility problems. One of the factors that influences this is the delay in motherhood until 35, 40 or more years of age. To this we must add the decrease in the probability of pregnancywhich falls to 20% from the age of 35 and to 5% from the age of 40.

Another curious fact. In 2022, more babies were born to single mothers than to married mothers. The emotional instability of couples in Spain means that 50.14% of births were to single mothers, while the figure in 2013 was 40.86%. You only have to see how The number of births to mothers aged 40 or over grew by 27.9% in the last decadeIn 2012, they represented just 6.2%.

The average number of children per woman fell to 1.16a decline in which the Canary Islands (0.86) and Asturias (0.97) stand out, where the average number of children is not higher than one. These figures represent a 27.6% drop in the Spanish birth rate since 2012.

More pets than children

Among millennials, the idea that more people have dogs than children has become popular. In fact, in Spain there are more pets than 15-year-old children. People are living more and more alone. Raising a dog or a cat takes fewer years, is cheaper and requires less dedication than caring for a child.

In the US and the rest of the Western world, Millennials are the most likely to share their lives with a pet (32% of cases). They are followed by Baby Boomers (27%) and Generation X (24%).

Hence the term has become popular. ‘dog-child’ to define the relationship of millennials with their dogs, as substitutes for babies.

Recent studies confirm this trend. The investment of ‘non-parents’ in pets is similar to the investment of parents in children, although the methods of satisfying their specific needs vary. A new and flexible environment which encourages pet keeping as compensation for raising children.

Georgia as a referent

The data show that it is not necessary to increase investment excessively to achieve a boost in a country’s birth rate. In 2007, the Patriarch Ilia II The Georgian Orthodox Church has made a decision to personally baptize and be the godfather of any child of the third or high Orthodox religion born to a married couple in Georgia and formally registered with the government. It should be noted that almost 90% of the country is Orthodox.

An example of how national leaders can use social or cultural capital to achieve social change. This is how it was achieved Mass baptisms at the end of 2007with Illia baptizing more than 30,000 babies, 5.8% of all births in Georgia.

In many cases, fertility rates are linked to economic or social issues, so policies focus on direct expenditures for the country. However, religious belief has no direct fiscal cost and was highly popular in Georgia.

In the case of Georgia, the baptism proposal was only officially extended to married couples, so one might expect the fertility of married people to skyrocket, while the fertility of single people should not be affected.

Subsequently, in 2013, Georgia greatly expanded its financial incentives for motherhood. Paid parental leave was extended from 126 to 183 days and unpaid leave from 477 to 730 days. The Government also approved the increase of ‘baby bonus’a one-time payment per child of between $250 and $400. Then, in 2014, it launched another expansion, offering parents of three or more children in low-population regions an annual payment of $850. This shows that offering financial incentives does work, but not as much as a social or, in this case, religious push.

The horizon appears uncertainFamily Plans and financial aid are not always effective. It is clear that it depends on the mentality of society, especially of the new generations, and the stability they can have in their lives. Spain can learn from Georgia, money is not everything. The new generations need job stability and accessibility to housing, more than direct aid to birth rates.

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