The main whys and wherefores of childlessness in Spain

Abstract

The Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE) has just published the microdata of the 2018 Fertility Survey. In a country that sets demographic records its publication has filled a void of more than two decades since the last survey was carried out in 1999. The figures for life expectancy in Spain are among of the highest in the world and those for fertility are among the lowest. The convergence of these two trends directly influences the structure of the population, curtailing its natural growth and increasing its average age. In such a situation, any attempt to restore fertility requires a sound diagnosis of the underlying causes. In this number of Perspectives Demogràfiques, we present the first results of the Fertility Survey and explore the causes of the low fertility rates, paying particular attention to women who have not had children (childlessness). The results show that more than half the women who are not mothers wished to have children and that there are several reasons, which vary over the life cycle, that have made this impossible.