Economic hardships cited as barriers to women having more children
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has revealed in its 2025 State of World Population report that economic hardship is among the major barrier preventing women from having more than one child.
Key findings indicate that financial instability, unaffordable housing, and the high costs of childcare and education are among the barriers to larger families.
Others include health issues such as including chronic illness, limited access to healthcare, and infertility are further preventing reproductive choices.
The report dubbed “the Power to Choose, Freely and Responsibly, if, When, and How Many Children to Have”, cites fears about bringing children into a world plagued by conflict, climate threats, and global instability as some respondents' concerns.
Despite these challenges, the report notes that unintended pregnancies remain common.
Speaking during the launch of the 2025 State of World Population, UNFPA Country Representative, Seth Broekman, said, "while some people are having fewer children than they want, others are having more than they planned. What both groups lack is choice.”
The 2025 report is based on a global survey of 14,000 people across 14 countries. Participants were asked about their reproductive aspirations: whether they want children, how many, and whether they believe they can achieve those goals. One-third reported experiencing an unintended pregnancy, underscoring the persistent global challenge of limited reproductive autonomy.
He said that the State of World Population report in 2022, research indicated that nearly half of all pregnancies worldwide were unintended, totaling 121 million each year while in the 2025 survey, one in three people had experienced one.
"In Zambia, the adolescent pregnancy rate is almost similar and that only relates to the age group 15-19! So, while some people are having fewer children than they want, others are having more. What both groups lack is choice. "We miss these human experiences when headlines and several public decisionmakers attribute falling global fertility solely to people “opting out” of parenthood.
He stressed that many public discussions wrongly attribute declining fertility rates solely to individuals “opting out” of parenthood, without acknowledging the constraints many faces.
“Our findings show the opposite: many people are being forced into parenthood, while many more are being shut out of it.”
He also noted that countries facing aging populations, labor shortages, and rising healthcare costs are often reaching the wrong conclusions.
“Instead of investing in reproductive agency and women’s participation in the workforce, some societies are pressuring people, especially women, to have more children.”
“We have moved from a fragmented, relief-based model to a comprehensive life-cycle approach,” Ms. Mwamba said.
She explained that the policy is designed to provide support across all stages of life, from maternity and early childhood to old age, and also acknowledged that vulnerabilities and needs change over time.
The policy, she said, directly addresses reproductive agency, extending maternity protection beyond the formal sector, exploring non-contributory cash benefits for vulnerable pregnant women and mothers and supporting girls' education through programs like “Keeping Girls in School”, ensuring economic hardship doesn’t force early marriage or motherhood.
Ms. Mwamba also highlighted shock-responsive social protection, allowing the government to scale up emergency support during disasters like droughts or floods.
“When crises hit, we can prevent families from falling deeper into poverty or pulling their children out of school.”
She emphasized that supporting reproductive rights and choices is not the work of one ministry alone.
“It requires the collaboration of everyone in this room to ensure the clients we serve are economically empowered.”
The Minister called on stakeholders to advocate for sustainable financing for social protection, stressing that it is not a cost but an investment in Zambia’s human capital and future prosperity.
She also urged the private sector to adopt family-friendly policies, supporting the shift in narrative that caregiving is not solely a woman’s responsibility.
“The 2025 State of World Population report makes it clear: the path to resolving the real fertility crisis is not by telling people how many children to have it is by expanding their ability to achieve their own aspirations,” Ms. Mwamba said.
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