Decline in marriage affects fertility rates around the world, researchers say

Researchers in Canada are highlighting the link between declining marriage rates and overall declining fertility rates in North America and around the world.

In his 2024 book, Yes… I accept? Why marriage is still importantpublished in November 2024, Andrea Mrozek and Peter Jon Mitchell, both associates of the think tank Ontario-based Christian Cardus say the decline of marriage is “one of the contributing factors” to the decline in fertility in Western countries.

Currently, the fertility rate in Canada stands at approximately 1.3 births per woman, slightly below that of the United States. However, the fertility rates of both countries—along with almost all of Western Europe and many other countries—are significantly below the “replacement rate” needed to maintain a stable population.

Mitchell told EWTN News’ CNA that it remains true that “the majority of children are born to married parents” and that in Canada “we have seen a significant portion of young adults in their 20s and 30s living without a partner.” ”.

“The age at which people marry has increased, as has the age of mothers at their first birth,” he noted. “Family sizes have been declining for decades, and the fertility window for many women who marry at older ages has compressed.”

Mitchell acknowledged that “below-replacement fertility is a complex phenomenon with many contributing factors,” but stated that “we believe the correlation between marriage and fertility remains significant.”

“Promote and model marriage”

The steady decline in fertility in countries around the world has raised alarm in various quarters, from commentators and demographers to policy experts and governments.

Government leaders have struggled to address low birth rates in their respective countries. In South Korea, the Seoul metropolitan government will begin offering housing subsidies to newly married couples this year, in part to encourage them to have more children.

Italy is offering “baby bonuses” to couples, providing a monthly subsidy for the first year of a new baby’s life. And the Greek government has increased its own birth allowance in a bid to combat the country’s low fertility.

These and other countries have experienced sharp declines in marriage rates in recent decades. In many cases, divorce rates have also increased.

Although researchers advocate encouraging more marriages, Mitchell acknowledged the possibility that “marriage rates could increase without an increase in fertility.”

“Encouraging a healthy marriage culture would still be worthwhile, because marriage is good for people and for communities,” he said. However, other research has indicated a significant link between marriage and fertility.

In some cases, studies have noted that fertility decline is not solely linked to social trends. For example, a 2023 study found “evidence of an association” between exposure to certain insecticides and “lower sperm concentration in adults.”

However, most of the debate about low birth rates has focused on personal and cultural choices. And the decline of marriage, Mitchell told CNA, is “primarily a cultural problem.”

Among Catholics, experts have argued that the Church should focus at the parish level to boost marriage rates among the faithful. Catholic marriage rates declined about 70% between 1969 and 2019, according to data from Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate.

The collapse reflects the widespread decline in marriage rates in the United States, with a record 25% of people in their 40s having never married, according to Pew Research data.

“Rebuilding a healthy culture of marriage will be slow work, but it will be worth it,” Mitchell said. “We need to tell better stories about marriage and communicate the benefits of marriage to young adults. Social institutions such as faith and learning communities can play a role in this effort.”

Mitchell admitted that governments are not the primary leaders of a healthy marriage culture, but noted that the government “certainly has an interest in healthy, stable family life.”

“A good starting point is to remove barriers to marriage,” he suggested. “Tax and benefit policies can inadvertently penalize people by reducing benefits that leave them worse off when they marry.”

“In the absence of a marriage-friendly culture, fertility rates will not increase,” the authors argue in their book.

Translated and adapted by the ACI Prensa team. Originally published in CNA.