Fertility survey 2013
In about five decades, the number of births in Portugal has fallen to less than half. At the same time, we are becoming mothers and fathers later and later. Today, on average, women have their first child at the age of 31, almost five years later than 20 years ago.
The Fertility Survey, carried out in 2013 by INE in partnership with Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos, aimed to contribute to a more accurate understanding of fertility in Portugal. Through the information collected in 7,624 face-to-face interviews with women aged between 18 and 49 and men aged between 18 and 54, this survey provides information on the number of children women and men have, plan to have or wish to have over the course of their lives, as well as the underlying reasons that affect their fertility choices:
- What personal motivations and desires determine the choice to have fewer children later in life?
- What impact do the social, economic, cultural and geographical contexts of each couple have on their choices?
- How many children does each Portuguese person want to have on average? How many children does each Portuguese person actually have on average?
- How do Portuguese couples divide their household chores and childcare?
- What impact does the need to reconcile work and family life have on the decision to have or not to have children?
- What are the differences and similarities between Portugal and other European Union countries?
In the first part, the survey analyses fertility over the last few decades; in the second part, it presents and interprets its main results; and in the third part, it proposes a critical reflection on the measures and characteristics of fertility in Portugal. Given the impact that an ageing population inevitably has on a society like Portugal and its organisation, FFMS provides you with the data you need to understand a phenomenon that is increasingly discussed in the country's media and on the political agenda.
