It was not just fewer babies being born, perhaps, a population slump was seen with more people dying of the pandemic and other causes, making for more uncertainty.
by Victor Cherubim
With the pandemic, more rather than less people around the world, seem more likely to be living with their heads than their hearts, through fear and anxiety.
It is also a fine time to generate new ideas on family life rather than work life and discover ways to boost affairs of the heart.
Who said motherhood does not come during Coronavirus pandemic?
Making the decision to have a baby is a monumental moment. If however, you are among my readers out there, let me be the first to say, “Yay!” as I am so excited for you and everything that you can realise, as you are the future.
Some 730,000 babies are born each year, only in France. But when France went into lockdown in March 2020, the “Baby Boom” that was expected never happened.
Although manycouples not only in France were restricted to their homes due to the pandemic, but life went on. Instead, the first nationwide results of births revealed particularly in France, a declinein the birth rate, or 53,000 births drop in the month of January 2020 as compared to a year earlier. Understandably some of it could be attributed to a natural decline in part, as women have in recent times waited longer in their work cycle to have babies.
The pandemic, we note, resulted in some big changes in terms of work and unemployment. At the same time it postponed “Baby Making” because of the uncertainty and the fear of what may cause the new born. We also know it affected both fertility cycles and “libido”.
What could happen when life gets back to normal?
When life gets back to normal, if it ever gets back, we were told people may have a job again. In fact, when lockdown measures were eased on 11 May 2021, the question on people minds was,“Will Baby Making catch up again,” or perhaps, will we see a Boom?
Sharp declines in babies being born 9 months or more after lockdowns in France and elsewhere, in Italy and Spain were alsorecorded.
It was not just fewer babies being born, perhaps, a population slump was seen with more people dying of the pandemic and other causes, making for more uncertainty.
A collapse in the number of new births in the industrialised economics as well as in the underdeveloped nations following the pandemic was expected. It was for all intents and purposes an economic crisis of massive proportions, only seen during war time.
Why was there the fall in birth rates?
Potential parents during the pandemic were typically anxious about their job security and their ability to support their new born. But this time, the added “climate of fear” of passing on any virus infection to their babies as well as to nurse their new born falling sick from the virus, was paramount.
Italy was the first to feel the full force of COVID-19, recording a 21.6% decline in births in December 2020, compared to a year earlier. China too saw a 15% decline in registered new born.
We could not have the statistical data for India, but it is likely that it would have been over than normal?
However, COVID-19 did not hit the Northern Nordic nations as hard as some of the southern European states.
But luckily, this trend was not necessarily a worldwide phenomenon. In the Philippines, the pandemic did trigger a “Baby Boom,” which we are not sure resulted in unwanted pregnancies and deaths in childbirth.
Fewer marriages
Besides, new births, there have also been fewer marriages, as wedding celebrations were first forbidden and then subject to restrictions on guest numbers.
If this trend not only in baby births but also marriages were to persist, it would have profound implications for economies and for societies, affecting everything from immigration to education, as well as pensions.
We know uncertainties are one of the lead reasons for trends why people don’t have children,
particularly in the western world. But fear of children born with COVID-19 infection may also be a reason for decline in birth rate in the East.
Future workforce
From new technologies to new career trajectories, new skill sets and new mind sets, changing workforce attitudes and new cyber security challenges added to birth rate decline, is putting an inordinate burden not only on parents but more so on governments around the world.
Not only have Governments “racked up” enormous borrowing to service the debt that Coronavirus has lashed on the public purse, but the fall in birth rate could become a more permanent feature of life in years to come.
HSBC Economist, James Pomeroy states that “the world’s population may start to shrink in 2060.
We have heard of Thomas Malthus, the 18th century British Philosopher and Economist used his theory to project population growth that food production was unable to keep up with population growth resulting in disease, famine and war.
Falling population will no doubt hurt potential for growth, but especially tax revenues immediately.
There is the argument for governments around the world to seriously having to boost cash payments to induce citizens to have children.
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