The study looked at a few of the justifications people gave for delaying parenthood amid Finland's fertility decrease in the 2010s, according to the publication.
The primary causes for delaying or giving up childbirth in Finland are discussed in a recent study that was published in the journal Marriage and Family Review. This includes the hypothesis that there is a link between internet activity and people’s desire to have kids.
Consequently, the information for this study came from the two most recent Finnish Family Barometers, conducted in 2015 and 2018. According to reports, Väestöliitto, the Finnish Family Federation, carried out the representative survey.
With the help of this information, the publication “Reasons to Postpone Childbearing during Fertility Decrease in Finland” attempted to explain Finland’s dramatic decline in birthrate. The study examined information gathered from at least 3,468 individuals with ages ranging from 20 to 44.
When asked if they wanted children, half of the participants said that they did not want or did not want children any longer. However, 36.6% of people have delayed their plans to start a family. 13.4% of respondents claimed they were unsure about their plans for having children or more.
According to the study, there are three primary categories of reasons why people put off having children or decided against it, including unclear lifestyle circumstances, lifestyle preferences, and completed fertility.
“Uncertain life situations emerged as the strongest factor behind the decision to postpone or not to have children,” said the paper.
There were a lot of variables involved on the list, such as one’s financial status, one’s own or one’s spouse’s unfinished education, the size of the flat, and so forth.
According to the survey, the second most common excuse given by respondents was that they preferred to continue living their existing lifestyle, which caused them to put off making a decision on whether or not to have children. Finally, the third factor—completed fertility—suggested that people have already achieved their desire for procreation.
There was a correlation between those who expressed a wish to maintain their current way of life and those who expressed worry over situational insecurity being the ones who use social media the most and are more focused on their jobs.
In general, people with stable lifestyles, infrequent social media users, and less work-focused personalities were less likely to indicate worries about having children. On the other hand, the participants who regularly use social media and are more work-oriented, especially women without children, were the ones who cited lifestyle preferences as the reason for delaying having children or having more children, according to the survey. According to the study, other elements including the economic downturn and unemployment also have an effect on fertility rates.
This study also provides the first comprehensive investigation of the justifications given by people in Finland during the fertility decrease of the 2010s for delaying or giving up having children.
In light of the fact that the data was gathered before the Covid-19 outbreak and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Parvathy Sukumaran 
