Childbearing Intentions and Behaviors in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

In times of profound uncertainty, people tend to avoid making major life changes such as having a child. Faced with difficult trade-offs given the health, economic and social challenges the COVID-19 pandemic raises, some people may postpone or abandon their plans to have their first or an additional child. On the contrary, for some the crisis may increase or accelerate their fertility intentions. Childbearing can be an enriching and fulfilling experience and a means of securing financial stability from partners and family members. To evaluate the impact of the pandemic on fertility outcomes, it is important to investigate how demographic as well as contextual characteristics support or further reduce individuals’ fertility intentions. Based on available reported childbirth data from UNFPA, there are no signs of dramatic increases or decreases in fertility due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest report indicates that short term effects were observed in a range of highly developed countries but these reverted to pre-pandemic levels and trends shortly after. Data from low and middle income countries suggest similarities to those of many developed countries, with short term declines in births and subsequent recoveries. However, there is a need for more follow up to determine long-term impacts as the pandemic evolves and new mitigation measures are rolled out. Accordingly, this session will focus on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on fertility outcomes; the causes of declining/increasing fertility intentions during and after the pandemic; the implications of fertility change and possible policy interventions to address these issues.