Family planning

In the 21st century, low fertility and its impact on slowing population growth have become a great concern of governments in many parts of the developed world. A total fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman is regarded as the level of inter-generational replacement: a generation of women must each give birth to slightly more than two children to ensure replacement.

Hong Kong has one of the lowest total fertility rates in the world, at 1.04 per woman. The decline in fertility has been shown to be related to the substantial decrease in the proportion of married women of prime childbearing age.

People are putting off getting married, and those who are married tend to put off having a child, thus shortening the childbearing years. Family size is also smaller - more parents stop at one or two - and divorces are on the rise. All these put pressure on the fertility rate.

The collective effect of people's reproductive decisions is complex. From a micro perspective, raising children is a matter of private choice in which the government should have little right to intervene. However, from a macro perspective, because of the emergence of an ageing population and considerations of long-term economic sustainability, the government needs to pay attention and take appropriate action to halt the decline in fertility rates.

According to a 2007 study of family planning attitudes and practices in Hong Kong, the vast majority of fertile women surveyed said that, if they were asked to choose again, they would still want to have two children (49.7per cent) or one child (26.2per cent). Only 12.5per cent said they did not want a child.

Certainly it is difficult, if not impossible, to change the minds of couples who are childless by choice. The challenge is to remove barriers for those who want to have children.

These barriers include the financial burden, worries over the local education system, and a working environment that is not friendly to families. Hong Kong people work long hours by international standards, and the city does not impose legal requirements for overtime pay or working hours.