Malta's fertility rate stands as the lowest in the European Union, at just 1.08.

This matter has been a prominent topic of discussion for many years, as a country's birth rate being so low ultimately has a real risk of adverse social and economic consequences.

One such consequence, Professor Angela Abela told The Malta Independent on Sunday, is that the retirement age will need to be delayed if the issue is not addressed. For one thing, if the population continues to age and the birth rate remains low, there are proportionally fewer people paying taxes to support the pensions of retirees.

On Republic Day 2024, Archbishop Charles Scicluna focused his homily mostly on Malta's declining birth rate. He spoke about how it is below replacement level and stated that Maltese people need to "think about the roots and causes" of the downward trend of the country's birth rate "in the interest of our heritage and the preservation of our ethnicity".

The Malta Independent on Sunday contacted Professor Abela and Dr Maja Miljanic Brinkworth and asked them for their reactions to the Archbishop's statements, as well as their thoughts regarding matters relating to Malta's birth rate.

Brinkworth, a senior visiting lecturer with the University of Malta's Department of Sociology, commented that Malta's declining fertility rate has been evident for more than three decades. She said that Malta has been passing through the process of the "Second Demographic Transition", which she stated is characterised by "secularisation, functional loss of religious affiliation, desire for self-realisation, increase in financial independence by women, and a possible for almost perfect contraception", among other factors. She added that the ideational values of the Second Demographic Transition were accepted in Malta with a time lag when compared to other European Union nations and other developed countries.

Also giving her thoughts on the Archbishop's statements, Professor Abela, from the University of Malta's Department of Child and Family Studies, stated that the declining birth rate is not just an economic concern for Malta, but also for many developed countries in general. "The decline in fertility has become a global phenomenon," she remarked.

Abela said that the Archbishop's "concern about heritage and preservation of our ethnicity" likely stems from statistics revealed through a parliamentary question in 2023 that "only 66.4%" of babies in Malta were delivered by Maltese mothers, with the other third being born to non-Maltese mothers. She continued that migration flows across the globe have increased significantly over the past several decades, and commented that "having migrants living in countries other than their country of origin has therefore become a constant feature of modern societies". With that in mind, Abela remarked that it is therefore important to keep such information in perspective when discussing matters relating to heritage and ethnicity.

Abela and Brinkworth were then asked what they believe are the main reasons why Malta's birth rate has steadily declined over the years, with the birth rate having been 1.42 in 2012.

Brinkworth replied that the factors which have contributed to the declining birth rate are "varied in type from societal structure, to changes in culture and contribution of technology". She added that the factors are existent from both the micro and macro level. She continued that with women being employed in the formal labour market and an "uneven distribution of family duties such as carrying for children or the elderly and frail, as well taking care of the household duties is a triple burden for a woman". Brinkworth added that younger mothers also generally have other aspirations in life aside from being a mother and wife.

Replying to the same question, Abela commented that studies in other countries suggest that the steady decrease in the birth rate has multifactorial reasons, "including delays in childbearing because of women's increasing level of education, a decline in larger families, the need to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle and other lifestyle choices including a good balance between work and life, the choice to remain single and uncertain life situations, amongst others".

Abela referred to a recent study by Professor Anna Borg and Professor Liberato, which she said showed that men and women between the ages of 18 and 39 see having two children as ideal. She continued that at the same time, "46% of women also pointed out that the caring gap between women and men influences their fertility decision". This caring gap, she remarked, has also impacted the decline in the birth rate, "as the vast majority of women have joined the labour market and find it hard to cope with the double shift of work and family without the full support of their partner".

Focusing on the matter of the birth rate being below replacement level, Abela and Brinkworth were asked what the consequences of this are for Malta.

Doctor Brinkworth replied that the birth rate being below replacement level means that "the mother and father are not being replaced by one daughter and one son". She continued that in the conditions of longevity, the most visible consequence is an ageing population, a high level of old-age dependency, ensuring the sustainability of the pension system, and a decline in competitiveness, among other consequences.

For her part, Professor Abela's comments largely aligned with those of Brinkworth's. She commented that the birth rate being below the replacement level means that the population will not be able to replace itself from one generation to another and will drastically decrease. She continued that the consequences are economic, such as resulting in "an ageing population with the younger generation having to be more productive to make up for the decrease in work resources and to sustain the wellbeing and welfare of the increasingly ageing population". With that said, she remarked that technological innovations and generative AI may help increase productivity, but stated that such resources at this time are not sufficiently developed to cater for such demands.

The Malta Independent on Sunday asked Professor Abela and Doctor Brinkworth what should be done to address Malta's low birth rate.

Brinkworth replied that various types of family-related leave, such as maternity, paternity, paternal, or child sickness need to be addressed. She remarked that young parents should be supported not only in monetary terms but also at their place of work. Young parents need more understanding, flexibility, tolerance, job security, and rights in the workplace, she commented. Among those rights, she continued, includes training opportunities or promotions needing to be granted upon return from parental leave when merited.

Abela stated that the paradigm shift occurring across the globe when it comes to thinking about having a family cannot be ignored, "with some couples choosing not to have children in more affluent countries".

With that in mind, she commented that moving more toward gender equality as a norm, as well as increasing family-friendly measures, "will help us increase the birth rate". She continued that she is not expecting big increases, "but every little increase counts because we have found ourselves at the bottom of the list regarding birth rate in European countries".

Abela remarked that although free childcare for women studying or in the labour market is helpful, "it is not enough". She continued that parents need more quality time to spend together as a couple and with their children.

She suggested that parents should be given more paid leave from work when they have children, and added that paid maternity and paternity leave need to increase. She also said that paid parental leave is needed. "Both mothers and fathers are expected to avail themselves of it ... one-third of this leave will be offered to mothers, whereas another third will be offered to fathers on a use-it-or-lose-it basis. The third allocation can be taken by any of the parents." She continued that research shows how such a policy measure would help fathers bond with and enjoy their children more, "resulting in a more equitable division of care and household responsibilities". She added that this would start to address the imbalance currently existing between fathers and mothers in terms of gender equality when it comes to child-rearing.

Abela stated that policy implementations in Scandinavian and other European countries show that gender inequality is often considered by many couples to be a stumbling block to having more children. She continued that from clinical experience, "I can also say that some couples are not interested in having children in the context of rocky and unsupportive relationships". She commented that parents need more support during the transition to parenthood, and added that the current evidence-based online parent programme 'Parents as Partners' offered by the Committee for Positive Parenting is an "excellent way of supporting parents". She added that research also shows that such a measure will also enhance the couple's relationship.

The Malta Independent on Sunday asked Brinkworth if a strong economy generally contributes to higher birthrates, to which she replied that if based on high competitiveness and high productivity, a strong economy usually relies on a highly educated labour force. She continued that this means staying in formal education for a longer period of time, which, "unless supported, results in a delay of childbirth and ultimately lower fertility rates".