Prague, July 8 (CTK) – Only 57 percent of Czech childless men aged 25 to 29 want to have children now or later in life, while more than three quarters of women of the same age want them, according to an analysis which was released by the latest issue of the Demography journal focused on population development.
The young men’s willingness to have offspring in the future is influenced by their education, partnership relations and the perception of children as a value in life.
Their position on the job market and the parents’ possible divorce in their childhood do not play any role in their decision-making.
The analysis was conducted by female experts from the Labour and Social Affairs Research Institute. They studied data provided by 366 men aged 25-29.
The share of men who do not plan to become parents rises with age, the analysis showed.
A commission of male and female experts from various branches which works under the aegis of the Labour and Social Affairs Ministry has now been discussing promotion of parenthood.
The team proposes among others that even women who do not have a male partner can undergo artificial fertilisation, while now the woman needs consent by a man.
Labour and Social Affairs Minister Michaela Marksova (Social Democrats, CSSD) says “every woman who decides to have a child should be supported.”
She said “a relatively low number of children are born” in the Czech Republic now.
Last year, the number of deaths exceeded the number of births.
According to the data by the Czech Statistical Office (CSU), Czech women usually have their first child at the age of 28 on average and the age is gradually rising.
The situation in men is similar. According to calculations, they become fathers after 33 years of age for the first time, while in the past, it was a few years before they turned 30.
According to the analysis, men’s “reproduction plans” are influenced by education more than women’s.
The analysis found that 70 percent of university graduates aged 25 to 29 years, 60 percent of secondary school graduates and a half of men with an apprenticeship certificate or elementary education wanted children.
It played no role in family planning whether the man was employed, a student or jobless, according to the analysis.
“Demography” is the sole specialist journal in its field in the country. It has been published by the CSU since 1959.
