One in Three Poles Doesn’t Want Children
36January 14, 2011 by Aleksandra Łuczak
One third of Poles do not plan to have any children at all, shows a report by the Labour Ministry.
The reason why so many Poles decide not to have children are connected to low salaries and unstable labour market, a lack of help from the state and lack of help from a partner in bringing up children and sharing domestic duties.
The report shows that man spend twice less time with children than women (223 minutes a week compared to 403 minutes).
According to the Central Statistical Office, population growth in Poland has been slowing down year by year since 1984. Between 2003 and 2005 more people died in Poland than were born.
Recently the birth rate in Poland increased owing to baby boom generation setting up families. It is estimated that by 2030 the number of Poles will decrease by two million, which will dramatically impair (pol. nekorzystnie wpływać) the pension system (pol. system emerytalny).
Poland has one of the lowest birth rates in the EU. (Source: thenews.pl)
I wonder what your opinions about setting up a family, having children and bringing them up are.
Have your say!
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A strong and flourishing family should be a backbone of every dynamically growing economy that intends to sustain its developmental path. Decreasing population should trigger alarm bells early on as it may lead to long-term unfavourable consequences such as shortage of workforce coupled, paradoxically, with rising unemployment due to shrinkage of the domestic markets. Also, low birth rates today, tomorrow will lead to the increase in proportion of senior retirees (pensioners) which have to be supported by pensions and healthcare provided by the government, which in turn puts a greater tax burden on the workforce, whose proportion has decreased.
To remedy this impeding problem, a set of government-sponsored policies must be launched. For instance, as housing maybe one of the most worrisome factors in starting up a family, the state should provide subsidised housing loans and other low interest rate loans to new families, and to incentive Poles to have more than one child, special monetary awards for second and third offspring should be offered.
Excactly, it would be hard to disagree with Igor.
What is more, we can observe tendence to cut social spendings by our government, which of course affects negativly on planing family.
The next thing is that although polish economy is considered as stable, we can still hear voices whispering about incoming crisis and market crash, which also have negative influence on people who can think about having children.
The last thing I would like to point out are flats/houses prices. Despite analysis showing that prices per square meter are still falling down, there is still a little of young people who can think at least about taking housing credit.
Nowadays, people are carieer oriented and very reluctant to set the family. They don’t have time to think about such issues because of working long hours. This makes them sepperated from their friends and family. The only chance to change this situation is to focus on keeping work-life balance in such level that would allow them to spend more time with their significant other. On the other hand, now when we are young we wants to enjoy our life and just have fun without any personal obligations. Of course somewhere in the background we are thinking about getting married and have kids but in not precised “later on”. Until it would be to late…
Currently, most at the beginning of their professional life wants to earn some extra money, first, to buy an apartment to have somewhere to live in and finally thinking about larger families. Polish family policy is inept and does not encourage young people to raise families. I am at the age of 24 and never thought about setting up a family. First of all, I do not have housing and, secondly, i can imagine how much does cost a child and how long it takes to raise it. I want to be a responsible parent and I know that at the beginning of my career this is not possible.
I agree with my colleagues. The general reason of shrinking population in Poland is lack of money. People don’t have a spare time because they are forced to work as much as they can. It would be a lot easier if flats prices were similar to USA ones. Personally I would like to have 3 kids. But first of all I have to afford it.
Nowadays having children is difficult subject to say about. Time is changing and our mentally either.
From our grandparents perspective, having children in aged 20 or going marry at this age may seems like the most normal.
The question is what causes changes in the mentality of today’s young people? Is it caused only by Polish market, or rising women’s rights ?
In my opinion setting up a family, having children and bringing them up nowadays is the most important decision in women’s life. And probably in men’s life.
The only one and small problem is from human nature, where a woman has full responsibility for the pregnancy and taking care of her health and the health of the child during her lifetime and pregnancy. Then usually women are taking so-called leave absence in their education or going to sick at least. They are spending whole days in eating healthy food or not healthy, but non-threatening to child at least and waiting for their husbands. Finally, after the birth of a child you need to take maternity leave, which lasts on average for the year. And that means your break from work or school increases inversely with the possible chance to return. Despite the fact that Polish legislation prohibit to fired pregnant woman, they are often doomed to a lack of promotion opportunities.
Another problem is that young people are focused only on their education and career. It is because of the growing demands of the Polish employers of graduates. The best candidate for high office is person who graduates prestigious studies, with high levels , knows at least, two languages and has experience in specific field.
The question is when young people have to think about setting up a family? nowadays people are more likely to marry the age of 30. a woman decides to have children until after the 30th when they become professionalist and have this possibility for comfort live.
To sum up – we should remember that we are not young forever, and our life is not mean work and education only. We should remember about other values like family, love and whole known happiness…
Living in young marriage without children might be a good choice. U might say that especially for materialistic and ambitious ones ? My answer is NO!
Living “alone” is giving you a possibility for having not big but disposable income and plenty of free time. What is more further education and improving qualifications is much easier without children responsibilities. Which results in higher earnings :D, higher living standard, dreams fulfillment.
And finally, in my opinion it is not selfish to have negative attitude towards procreation.
Like everyone I have ambitious plans for my further education and dream career. I can not even imagine about two – year break in work for pregnancy and maternity leave. I can not also imagine my partner on paternity leave. We both do not have time for children after graduation. What’s more we do not have spare money for children. How on earth young people on the beginning of their careers could have? I have no idea.
I’m of the opinion, that young couples want to prepare the best conditions to rise a child. Nowadays if you want your child to go to nursery school, you have to book a place before child will born. Another problem is a tendency to dismiss mothers after they come back from maternity leave. It happened to my friend last month, she was fired on her first day after coming back and the reason was that they do not longer need her position. Next important issue is better career opportunities, which move young couples to prolong decision to have a child. At the moment I think what I will not be ready to have a child before the age of thirty.
I’m totally agree with you! Usually the first question in the interview with the employee is : Are married? Are you planning to have a baby. Answering YES means – ok you can forget that you’ll get this job! Womens are in the worst position always! We have to decide always between work / education – having baby or going married. Paweł wrote that it is good to live in young marriage without children.. True is that someday this people will decide to have a baby. And it’ll finish with the same scheme for women as I wrote on the beggining. I can see only one way of it – paternity leave! As in Denmark!
descirbed situation is not beneficial for polish pension system and prognosis for next 30 years are hopeless. In my opinion there are some solutions or ideas to manage the damages that will be caused because of lowest birth rate.
First of all, young people that face job searching and starting their carriers are often to busy to start a fimily, even if thay would like to some issues appears. I mean from employers, companies, which treats them disrespectfuly and not equal compering to single people.
Secondly, sometimes starting a family equals no promotion that leads to limited amount of money and resources
What is more, media create, promote “business lifestyle” more likely then “family”
So to improve this situation those issues should be solved in long perspective in order to fix the problem
I agree with the statement. Nowadays, less women decide to have children, because they want to do everything on their own. This way of thinking is a result of equality of rights and rat race, which is seen in our everyday life.
In this day and age, everyone wants to study, then to work, to develope. We all want to be the best in what we are doing. It is also worth mentioning that employers do not tend to employ women who have babies, because it may mean that they will not be fully disposable.
Also a lack of time and low earnings may cause women think that they are unable to raise their children properly. As we all know, bringing up children is not a cheap task. Therefore, women sometimes decide to work, rather than to raise children. Nevertheless, it is not an easy choice.
However, in my opinion, the career is not the most important thing in life. I hope, that everything is going to get better. More and more places are suitable for mother and child. Also being a mother should not be a barrier for employers, but quite opposite. First and foremost, they should see a positive aspect of that – a big responsibility, which is a part of motherhood of fatherhood.
One third of Poles do not plan to have any children at all. Population growth in Poland has been slowing down gradually. Why has Poland got one of the lowest birth rates in the EU?.
Firstly today young people are interested mainly in making career. Mentality of people has changed since the times when the main objective of women was to find husband and start a family Both women and men want to develop. On the first place they put the intellectual and professional education.
Another reason for this is low salaries, unstable labour market and a lack of help from the state. The increasing number of young people after graduation cannot find work. Sometimes they have to work in a profession unrelated to the degree they received in college.
Futhermore it could be lack of help from a partner in bringing up children and sharing domestic duties. Technological achievement has caused that men prefer playing computer games rather than spending time with children.
From my point of view the natural thing is that young people don’t want to start their families. Nowadays there are many oportunities for self development so everyone wonts to catch a chance.
It is true that the nature of human beings is such that they can make babies. But it is a natural human act in virtue of the fact that humans are animals, and it is animal nature to make babies. It is amazing and wonderful, surely, but as a human function, it carries no special force, certainly not the force of necessity. If you forget about your natural function it seems that you are egoist.
Everything is changing, time is changing. Nowadays for young people is much harder to set up a family than was once. Everyone wants to go study and get a well paid job. People don’t have time for upbringing children. They are too busy. They are afraid about losing their jobs. Legislator should help and enforce new family law which help people to set up families. For example new law should guarantee employment for mothers after the maternity leave. People want to earn some money before getting a child because maintain child is expensive. Maybe if salaries will grove up and standard of living in Poland will grove up too situation will change and our pension system will be saved.
If you want to have baby you also must have time to bring them up. But you don’t have time to bring them up because you want to make a career. That is vicious circle. The state isn’t conducive to family as well as work. So we have small family called ‘rodzina nuklearna’ : mother, father and a child. That may bring disasterous effects if we think about retirement pension in 50 years.
It’s sad, but when I think about all this I must say that I also want to have only one child in my 30 years at the earliest.
The situation looks badly. It does, but should we ring a bell once by once. I don’t think so. Yeah, the population decrease, people live longer and in good health, etc. One of the previous speaker said that time is changing. Of course, it does. Are these times better than others? Well, the future will show. Is this not wonderful, that women can make their career, they can enjoy life as well as men. They are not only for “Kinder, Kuche, Kirche” as it was in the past, but of course we cannot forget about allthings contected with modern world. Long life means longer work, longer paying pension, etc. There are many solutions. Every help to address the problem in little step such as nursery, maternity grant, family-friendly concession and others.
I think that another opportunity to minimise the State problems is to open for foreigners: Ukrainians, Koreans, Negros and also to help lone parent and different types of civil partnerships to born or adopt children. We should look for brighter future.
Setting up the family is really serious decision. Nowadays we can observe interesting process, it means how our society has changed over the years. The women have more rights. They want to be well educated and make career. That behavior is typical for West European country. But this problem is not only reason why in Poland is low birth. The article has illustrated the problem with low salary. Having a children is connected with many outlay such as flat, education, entertainment. People who has already graduated from university have really low salary. If the state don’t help to stop this problem, the situation with low birth will be more and more serious.
In developing countries female ferility is very high.It results from economic and cultural aspects.
On the other hand, in high-developed countries we can observe an inverse situation.It is caused by ambition and desire of self-realization.Both women and man wish to have solid education, well-paid job etc.People regard having baby as abstacle to come true their dreams.I think that extended period of learning is one of the reason of contemporary birth rate in Poland.
What is more the amount of marriages is still decreasing.There are more divorces.The consequence is no condition to create stable family with strong ties.
Nowadays we have more types of relationships like:” shared life but separate living”.In addition to this, there is decline in birth rate because of aging people in Poland.
Personally I want to have more than two children but not at this stage of my life.
Family is a big responsibility (sometimes too overwhelming) for young people. Their main target is work and during the time when they reach that objective I seriously doubt they have enough time and probably nerves for other things than career.
First of all, as it was said previously, the main problem for young people is low salary. It is common that newly graduated persons are focused on finding satisfactory employment with many possibilities of developing skills. Despite the discouraging payment (even in big companies), the last thing they think about is setting up a family. It is combined with spending much time with your wife, kids but also it includes much bigger expenses, eg.buying a flat. If I had a family, I would not like to rent a flat, but I would prefer to live in my own house.
There are also many other obstacles. For instance from the mental point of view someone may not be ready for family or just does not think that he would make a good father/husband. Some people are not meant to live in such a community. You can note that people usually become parents in their mid-thirties.
To summarise, while setting up a family it is so much important to think it through, see good and bad sides, like conducting “SWOT” analysis (i.e. strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats). Maybe it is more reasonable thing to wait a little till you have stable income.
I can agree that those statistics are alarming, but also I can also treat this difficulty as my personal one, because now I am almost twenty so in couple of years I would like to have my own familly. And now we are facing the problem, because for me there is no good time to have children! I will end studies in eight ywars from now, and through next five I won’t be able to have w full time job, then when (hopefully) I’ll have a degree at law, will be the time to look for some good job. And when you finally get one, you dont want to give up this style of living. Actually it is a very hard decision.
In recent times woman have problems with reconcealing double life ( work and household). They have to deal with cleaning the house, raising up children ( mostly on their own ) and worhing as hard as man do, but for lower salary. So tell me what is the motivation for young generation to have children?
In my opinion it’s very bad that people don’t want to have babies. It might be understood that everyone would like to first earn money, have own house, stable job etc. But if everyone would like to wait until they will be fully able to have children then all of us should have first children when we are 40. It is probably very hard to bear bringing up children. All of us think that they are not ready for kids but most of us will never be ready. Decreasing population is very big problem and it should be saved with family policy of government. I hope that this tendency will change and all of us in the future will have at least 2 kids.
It’s quite controversial problem. There are so many disputes about setting up family, having baby, the role of woman in a society. In my opinion people feel free and independent, more conscious than 10 or 20 years ago. Finally everyone can make a decision on his or her own and decide If he or she wants to have baby, work, study or travel around a world. Unfortunately there are many unjust opinions about young women who want to do career at work. It’s unfair that women are widely criticized because they want to be well educated instead of having babies.
For me having baby it isn’t a duty, it is a right, women can exercise it or not.
That’s a common problem in the whole Europe not only in Poland last years. Mentality have changed and many womans don’t want to have babies bacause: they want firstly to make a career, have fun insead of take care of a baby, don’t want to loose independence, they are affraid of put on weight and that they never will return to old figure or maybe are scared that will never assert a baby the best conditions of life.
On the other side it’s very hard to bring up a baby. Like for instance prizes of kids clothes. The tax will grow from rate 8% to 23% soon. Or the price of flat… it’s not easy to have a baby this time.
Im not suprised. Live level in our country is no near to the level of other Europian countries. It is connected with low salary, high inflation, high prices, tragic pension system, and more.. For many people, living in our country its just an struggle, nothing more. If woman wants to have baby, good luck and best wishes, if not.. The same ! Having a baby its a big responsibility, and every woman should decide in her own if she want baby or not.
For me it’s not surprising that one third of Poles do not plan to have any children at all. I think that in Poland the responsibility of bringing up children belongs, in the most cases, to women. According to the report man spend twice less time with children than women. It’s a significant disparity. However women besides raising babies are focused on their other, personal goals. Firstly, most of women, before having children, want to gain a knowledge nowadays. They have an awareness of importance the education in the event of looking for a job. Secondly, women are very ambitious and persistent in pursuing goals. So if they finally find a dream job, it would be a great distress for them to lose it. Thirdly, young marriages face financial difficulties that can place a severe strain on their new relationship. It’s hard to find a well-paid work and take out a loan for buying an apartment or a house. And there is no of help from the state. That’s why they put aside the decision of having children. Personally, I don’t see any possibilities to improve of this situation from now.
Crisis, crisis, crisis…
Euro zone falls, economic situation is in awful condition. How we can look forward in positive way? Moreover, it is going to be worse. On the other hand, we have increasing time which we must devote for better education and in our believe it equals better job, but often it’s different. We don’t have time to set up family beacouse we must earn money, for the same reason. That’s a vicious circle.
Nowdays people are rather more focused on their career than family. We can see it mostly in big cities. People want to make money and child is a they have to deal with. They work long hours, they don’t spend much time at home so they don’t even think about having a child. Another reason is the global crisis, people’s salaries are are going down and they don’t have money for a child. The labour market is very unstable, people aren’t sure if they can hold down their jobs and it all affects their plans for not having a child. Also, the goverment cuts down social spendings which influences on planning family.
Of course you may say the money is the main factor of this situation, but i suppouse its very short-sighted point of view. It’s becouse when you are young and strong you always can find the way to make money and provide your family even though it may be hard. But I think this is worth an effort, cause with current pensions it’s much harder to live on your own in old age than to have kids when you’re young
Nowadays, the low birth rate is a common problem in Europe. For me it’s not suprising at all. People changed their mentality few years ago. They started thinking more about theirs careers and about themselves. They focuse more on fulfilng theirs dreams, for example on travelling. They also want to be self-supporting, especially it changed woman. Additionally, not having enough money is good reason for not having a child (even one). Without money, it is really hard to be a good provider. Next good and understandable argument of not setting up a family is a lack of help from a partner or just lack of time. It is not good for child when parents are always away from home. It need them all the time, even if it is elder. But not to worry about, as time goes by it will change too.
The Polish government should do the same thing as the French. The French government has introduced tax incentives that encourage the procreation of children, and now birth rate grows.
If the Polish government would not introduce changes in labor law, tax law and the pension system we will still have the demographic problems
In my opinion family should be always important part of our lives. In a few years from now, I not only imagine myself as a lawyer, but also as a mother. I can’t think about my retirement without helping my children and grandchildren. And what about being in the age when help from other people is necessary? Who would help us if our family wouldn’t be there? I can understand that young people are so afraid of their jobs, salaries and lack of help from partners, government, but is a good, even the best work worth it? Do we really want to end up alone but with a lot of expensive things around us?
I can agree that that’s a very big problem. In my opinion there are two main causes of that. First is that people after studies can not afford to have a child because they have to looking for a job what isn’t very simple in Poland. If they find a job they have to give 110% of themselves to keep this job. It is impossible to take maternity leave after few months or even years of work because after your return you will be fired…
The second reason is fact that salaries are low, everything is expensive, labour market is unstable, and family policy is wrong. Poland is a young democracy, so we have to wait few maybe more years and every of that things would become more stabile.
I think that nowadays setting up a family is a really hard process. You need to be very rich to educate children. If you do not have lots of money, it is quite hard to have a baby. However it is pretty strange to me that “one in three Poles doesn’t want children”. I think that babies make our lives better and we are happier when we have someone who we love. Of course, difficulties always surround us, but we have to face them. I know it is hard when we have low salaries, a lack of help from the state and lack of help from a partner in bringing up children.,but I am shocked that woman does not want to be a mother. I feel ashamed that “Poland has one of the lowest birth rates in the EU” and hope that it will change soon. If not, consequences will be terrible- people in Poland more often die than born.
We cannot be surprised about that. In Poland we have pretty high taxes and very, very low help from government in ‘child cases’. Becikowe here is very low comparing to the other developed countries. The classical family system is fading away, people are becoming more and more job-addicted. From one point of view it is good because there will be more rich and intelligent people but from the other hand we should also care about our family. In my opinion the only solution here is to convince government to give us bigger help to rise a child.
Decision about having children is very important and responsible – especially in life of young person. To be honest I’m not suprised that one of third people in Poland don’t want to have children. The biggest barriers is work and money. Couples are afraid of having child because they are not sure about their future. Also they consider about the high cost of education and training in comfort. Some of them complain about poor housing conditions. These days people care about their careers, not about future connected with children. But we have to consider about it very carefully – who will be earning for our pensions?