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South African women are having fewer children
South African women will on average have fewer than two children by 2040, according to the latest South Africa Survey.
The survey will be published by the South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) next week. The Institute said in a press release that births per woman will drop by 17% between 2010 and 2040, following a 20% slump over the past 10 years.
The country’s fertility rate will fall below the replacement level (the rate that enables the population to substitute itself) of 2,1 in 2035. South Africa’s current fertility rate is 2,3. The decline is due to improved education levels, an increasing number of women participating in the labour market, urbanisation and the high costs of raising a child.
“Better education and income levels increase the affordability and accessibility of contraceptives, so preventing or delaying childbirth,” the Institute said. The declining fertility rate could result in a growing proportion of older people and the number of children and young people decreasing, according to Thuthukani Ndebele, a researcher at the Institute.
This may have a negative impact on the economy as an ageing population will become more dependent on the economically active citizens, warned Ndebele. An older population could also place greater pressure on the country’s social welfare system.
Read the complete press release: http://www.sairr.org.za/media/media-releases/Fertility%20-%2016%20January%202012.pdf/view
