The real fertility crisis: The pursuit of reproductive agency in a changing world
In many countries, declining birth rates are leading to alarm over “population collapse”. In an attempt to address these demographic changes, some governments are employing drastic measures to persuade women and young people to have more children. The assumption is often that young people are deliberately choosing to have fewer children, and that women must be incentivized to make reproductive decisions in line with national fertility targets.
The UNFPA State of World Population Report 2025, titled 'The real fertility crisis: The pursuit of reproductive agency in a changing world', shines a much-needed light on the individual realities of vast numbers of people who are unable to create the families they want, if they choose to start one.
