For Czechs today, job and housing security matter more than parenthood

Czechia is experiencing a sharp decline in birth and fertility rates, with trends reminiscent of the early 1990s, following the collapse of communism. Demographer Jitka Kocourková warned that fewer people are viewing parenthood as a path to fulfillment, and fewer are planning to have children, citing economic uncertainty as a key factor.

Kocourková, who heads the Department of Demography at Charles University, explained at a conference on family policy that “the decline is as intense as it was in the early 1990s. After the fall of communism and the economic transformation, young people could choose alternatives to parenthood.”

While the data on the current transformations is still being studied, she noted that the trend is likely driven by growing concerns about economic stability, job security, and housing.

In recent years, the Czech birth rate has fallen significantly. In 2023, around 91,000 children were born, compared to 130,000 annually in the late 1980s. Experts estimate that 82,000 children were born last year, with a noticeable delay in people’s decisions to start families.

“People are postponing parenthood to older ages, and fertility has been rising recently, reaching 1.83 in 2021,” Kocourková said. “However, much of the decline after 2021 stems from the lack of first children.”

The Czech decline mirrors broader trends seen in developed countries, where economic uncertainty and increased demands for security are delaying major life decisions. “The birth of a first child used to be intuitive,” Kocourková noted, “but now it has to be carefully planned.”

Findings from Masaryk University’s “Contemporary Czech Family” study, which surveyed 2,221 people aged 18-39, show a drop in the number of individuals planning to have children. The percentage of people intending to have children fell from 58 percent to 51 percent between 2020 and 2022, with only two-thirds of them successfully following through on their plans.

Kocourková also observed a shift in attitudes toward parenthood. In 2005, 73 percent of young people believed that women needed children to fulfill their lives. Today, only 41 percent agree with this view. A similar decline was noted in men’s attitudes toward fatherhood, with 55 percent in 2005 believing that men needed children to fulfill their lives, compared to 31 percent in the latest survey.

As concerns about job and housing security grow, the decision to have children is increasingly seen as an option rather than an obligation, leading to long-term implications for Czechia’s demographic future.