Fertility in Ireland: Why we are having fewer children, and having them later in life

The number of births each year has varied over the past 50 years. It peaked in 2009, reaching 75,550. However, numbers have declined almost consistently since 2009, with fewer than 60,580 births recorded in 2021.

The CSO says the provisional number of births for 2022 and 2023 stands at 54,477 and 54,418, respectively.

The main factors which impact on the number of births are the number of women of childbearing age (15-49 years) and their fertility levels.

The total fertility rate was as high as 4.03 in 1965, but it has fallen steadily thereafter. The age-specific fertility rates also show a general decline, with a rate of 228.7 for women aged 25-29 in 1970 down to 66.8 in 2021.

Similar trends can be observed in all age groups, with those aged 30-34 falling from 201.9 to 124.2 in 2021 while the 20-24 age group fell to 28 (from 145.5 in 1970).

Not only are age-specific fertility levels declining, but the number of women in the younger age groups is also falling.

For example, the number of women aged 20-29 has been in decline in recent years, falling from 383,000 in 2009 to nearly 304,000 in 2022 (-20.6%), while the number of women aged 30-39 has remained almost static, with small fluctuations between 368,000 and 385,000 since 2012.

This can be compared to the period between 1991 and 2008 when the number of women aged 20-29 grew by almost 135,000 (52.7%) and the number of women aged 30-39 increased by 108,500 (44.3%).

The combination of declining fertility rates, allied with a decrease in the number of women of childbearing age, has resulted in the fertility rate falling from 2.10 in 2010 to 1.73 in 2021 — a decline of 17.6%.

Sociologist Carmel Hannan, from the University of Limerick, told the Irish Examiner that birth rates in Ireland have, in the main, been dropping steadily since the 1980s. She stresses that there are a variety of reasons for the decline in numbers.

“So, a lot of the changes are caused by an ageing population,” she said. “But even at that, there has been a lot of research, including my own, that has looked at why woman are postponing having kids. It is related to delays in childbearing amongst couples. The longer they delay it, the lower our birth rate.

“You can see in the CSO figures that the age of maternity for the first or second child has increased substantially, and it is still increasing. So we have a very late age of childbirth in Ireland.

“We are not doing too badly by international trends, because whilst we have kids later, we are still having more than a lot of other European countries.

We are not at the bottom of the fertility table. We are doing OK, but we are declining. The birth rate has been declining for a long time. This is a long-term trend. 

Ms Hannan says there are a number of reasons for the relatively high birth age of mothers here.

“Women since the 1980s have been way more likely to go on to university, to have higher levels of education, to be in the workforce, etc. It is taking longer for people to get permanent jobs and to get a home.”

She has focused her research on what American literature calls the “marriage divide” — examining it in an Irish context.

“There is a real difference between those women who are going on to college and getting jobs and having kids later and younger women,” she said.

“But the CSO doesn’t mention the other group of younger mothers in their early 20s who are having kids either in cohabiting relationships or outside of relationships — unforeseen births. That is something that the CSO didn’t refer to. That kind of divide. Not all women in Ireland are having kids older.

“We have a cohort of women who are having kids outside of a relationship, or are in cohabiting relationships that then break down once they are pregnant. They are having kids in their early 20s.”

Ms Hannan says late-age fertility rates are quite high in Ireland compared to other countries.

“We don’t know if that is because of fertility technology. We have no information on the use of fertility technology. 

But what the international literature would say is that couples who have higher incomes and more security — they push out having kids until later ages. They are the group that can afford to have IVF or egg implantation.”

She stresses that there is a lot to unpack in the trends that the CSO does not have data on.

“There was an article in The Journal recently on international research which links birth rates to housing market conditions. So ‘the more houses you have, the higher the birth rates will be’ was the argument put forward.

“Maybe that is what the housing minister is up to: Build five- or six-bedroom houses and we will occupy them!”

She says population inflows and outflows is another consideration when it comes to birth rates.

“There was an American historian who argued that the Irish who stay in Ireland are very conservative, and the ones who leave are way more liberal. So it created this pattern of high fertility levels in Ireland.

“There is a new book coming out soon where we look at intermarriage rates in Ireland and births within those couples. Because we have had lots of inward migration, how many Irish are marrying non-Irish and what does that mean for their fertility levels?

“A lot of the trend we are seeing doesn’t involve inward migrants having lots of kids. It is also not them coming in with families. It is the Irish population [having children].”

Ms Hannan says the old adage is that the “Irish are slow to get married. We are slow to have kids. We are slow to divorce”.

Interestingly, she stresses if you ask people how many kids they would like to have, as opposed to how many kids they have, you will find a divide along social class or education lines.

“Higher educated and highly employed women are actually having less kids than they want to have because they postponed, and then younger mothers are saying that they are having more than they intended to. So that is the marriage divide and the fertility divide that the CSO doesn’t talk about.”

Ms Hannan adds that there was a “slight baby boom” in the third quarter of the pandemic.

“Everyone got excited and thought Ireland was going to see a reversal in this long-term trend, but it was just for one quarter of the year there was an initial blip. I guess that it was related to the fact that couples were in the same house and were spending longer time together.”

Health, the right partner, a place to live...

Meanwhile, counsellor and psychotherapist Margaret O’Connor from Limerick set up the Are Kids for Me? service in 2018.

She meets couples who are wondering if having children is the right option for them. She does so without any agenda and is in no way looking to convert people to a child-free life.

Ms O’Connor says couples often feel isolated when it comes to making a big decision such as choosing to have children.

“Having kids is not a straightforward decision.

“There are a lot of people in the middle and there are a lot of people who do want children but are thinking about whether it is practical for their situation. Then there are people who aren’t sure and could go in either direction, really.

Some of the factors are practical. If you are in precarious employment… accommodation is a real factor now. Obviously having a partner and having the right partner at the right time isn’t always easy either. And then you are looking at health conditions. That can be both mental and physical.

“People are definitely paying more attention to the environmental and social factors of conflict in the world.

"I wouldn’t say that’s maybe a dominating factor or a specific factor for anyone who has come to me, but it is definitely part of the conversation.

“What are you bringing a child into when things are so unsure? It is definitely more of a factor than people are aware of.”

She says people talk to her about practical issues and also about their sense of self: “How ready they feel to take on the responsibility. I think anybody looking at this decision takes it very seriously. It is not a decision they want to take flippantly or lightly.

“So people are looking at support and the cost of childcare and things like that. Then there is social pressure. Sometimes when people are sure that [not having kids] is what they want, they feel it is something they should do because of a prevailing expectation. It is starting to change.

“The older view is that everybody will have children unless you can’t.

“The fact that it might be something you choose not to do is relatively new, even though the numbers are there to support it. Things are improving, but people are still asked deeply personal questions in all kinds of contexts — whilst in a lift with somebody or getting your nails done, or family members.

“It can come in any kind of context. It can be very difficult for people. They can be trying [to have a baby] or going through IVF ... or if that isn’t successful, or it can be just something they don’t want to talk about.

“Some people feel that there has to be a ‘good enough’ reason for them not to have a child. Being happy with your life isn’t always accepted as a good enough reason.”

'People want what’s best for their families' 

Alison O'Reilly 

Lorna Ganda and her husband Jean always wanted a large family. Despite rising costs, they have four children — Alanna, 12, Amy 10, Alexa, 8, and 5-year-old Jayden. Living in Clare, the family has to stick to a strict budget to manage their finances and lifestyle.

“My husband works fulltime in construction and earns a good wage," says Lorna. 

“I am a stay-at-home parent. We both worked full time up until two years ago. However, due to our busy working schedules, our children weren’t getting to their training or extra-curricular activities.

“We were missing important milestones in their lives which I wasn’t willing to sacrifice so I made the decision to stay at home and be available to bring them to school, to their sports and all other aspects of their lives.

“I now fill my time volunteering with organisations and my children are involved in, I help out with coaching at our local GAA club, and I am the secretary of the parents association of the school my children attend.”

The couple has no mortgage and are in rental accommodation.

“A mortgage is something we have been thinking more about lately but we’re under no illusions, we understand that with one income and four dependents we don’t have a chance in the near future for mortgage approval.

"However, I don’t plan on staying at home indefinitely, as our children get older and more independent, I intend on getting back to employment.”

Family sticks to a tight budget

Lorna said after she gave birth to her third child, she knew she wanted to expand her family further and worked out a financial plan.

“The expense in Ireland is tough. Maybe never been tougher than what it currently is, however, my husband is originally from Brazil, and has lived and worked in Ireland for 15 years and so having the poverty in a country such as Brazil to compare to and the cost of living, I feel we personally are doing very well.”

The couple sticks to a budget for everyday expenses and do not feel like they are losing out.

“My husband and I look at our outgoings weekly and monthly,” said Lorna.

“Each week I do up our bills to see what will be going out that week and we then see what is left over to put towards savings or to go for a day or weekend out with the children and that.

“This was the one thing that was better when we were both working, not having to watch our bank account and think about what bill was going out on what day but I prefer to be less off financially if it means being able to support my children and their needs.

“We still manage to get by and live a comfortable life, but we do need to budget properly in order to keep things the way they are.

“We set aside €200 for food shopping weekly, €50 diesel for each car, I pay €20 towards electricity a week so credit builds up in the account and the bill is then much less when we receive it.

“Child benefit goes towards the children’s extracurricular activities, their clothes, anything they need in the month it’s received really. Thankfully, our child benefit isn’t needed for household bills, so we manage to invest it into the children’s lives directly.

“Childcare is the main issue, 100%, it needs to be affordable for couples who want to have baby. Women have to give up their jobs to pay for creches.

I would agree that finances have a part to play in the drop in birth rates, but I also think there is a bigger picture. 

She said couples are taking a conscious decision to have children later, to allow some time to focus on themselves.

“Couples now are not in any rush to have a family or get married straight away because they’re focusing on themselves, on their own personal progression, living life and finding their feet before having families.

“I just turned 30 and my closest friends are now just starting their families, or the thought hasn’t even crossed their mind yet.

“Money did not prevent us from extending our family. We’ve been together since I was 18 and have been through so much together as couple, we always just seem to manage what comes our way and deal with situations as best they can.

“I can 100% see how money can influence these decisions though, at the end of the day people just want what’s best for their families and to be able to provide as best they can.”

 

Get a mortgage or have another child? 

Alison O'Reilly 

Hannah Scanlon and her husband Cian have shelved plans to extend their family because of the cost.

Married for five years, they have one daughter, Aida. But any hopes of giving her a sister or a brother have been parked, probably permanently.

“We are a working couple but we have to take childcare into account too,” said Hannah.

“You are looking at an average of €200 a week for a creche. If we were to double that, then it would be €400 a week, so we are left with choosing between a mortgage or another child for now.

“To raise a child, there’s all the costs, shoes, clothes, daily expenses.

"it is massive. There is no reprieve in this day and age and only for my family, me and Cian would not be in Ireland. 

"You can’t get a house for less than €450,000 so it is not affordable to expand your family.”

Costly IVF treatment 

On top of their living costs, Hannah and Cian underwent IVF treatment from 2021 to 2023 which resulted in the birth of their one-year-old daughter Aida.

“At first we just couldn’t afford it, we looked at the costs of it and it was not plausible for us.”

But eventually with time, the couple “scraped” the money together to try for IVF treatment.

“There were a lot of emotions involved and we did get pregnant on the second round of IVF. Our daughter cost us €13,700 in the clinics. It is so much money and she is one now and it is a very tough journey. 

"But if I decided tomorrow 'I want to try again', I can’t. There is no hope. We have no more money. It’s down to paying my mortgage or having a baby. The bills do not stop coming in after babies are born.”

Hannah and Cian were one of the first couples in Dublin to use the Coombe hospital fertility clinic.

“We had all of Hysterosalpingography, blood and sperm analysis. They track your intercourse, ovulation, they give you a trigger shot and stimulate your ovaries and then you are told to have sex, on this day at this time.

“They measure your follicles so they know when to give you the trigger and then they politely say there is nothing more they can do for us. So, we looked at IVF treatment.”

The costs of treatment for a full round of IVF in 2021 was €4,600 plus €1,600 for a frozen embryo transfer.

“They couldn’t do a fresh embryo transfer, so it had to be a frozen one,” said Hannah. “That failed and we were devastated.”

But then out of the blue, Hannah’s brother offered her the money to go privately again.

“Thankfully that did work, and our daughter Aida was born last year, but while you would love to do it again, it’s not possible, we can’t afford it.

People don’t realise the financial burden that is on the shoulders of young people today — and then add a child to that. 

"We are now not eligible under the HSE scheme because we have already done it, so secondary infertility is not included. Even if you have a baby naturally the first time and can’t conceive a second time, the HSE won’t cover that. It makes no sense.

“Overall, we did two years of testing, and I was pregnant in 2023, we did the transfer on December 19, 2023, and found out on Christmas Day we were pregnant. She arrived in August.

“There’s just no way right now we could have another one. Maybe in five or six years if we had the money but that’s a long way off. 

"I would just say to people thinking about it, it’s emotionally, physically, and financially hard.

“For people our age, both working full time, with car loans, a mortgage, and a one-year-old — with or without IVF treatment — we are not in a position to extend our family because we are already stuck to a tight budget.”