Financial burdens, cramped living quarters and less sex: are these the reasons so many Hong Kong women are undecided about having children?
- Family Planning Association’s survey finds 15 per cent of women in the city are unsure whether to have kids, a 30-year high
- Hong Kong’s fertility rate is one of the world’s lowest, and stands to cause social and economic difficulties in decades to come
Some 15 per cent of Hong Kong women say they are undecided about having children – a 30-year high that has fuelled concerns about population levels in the city.
More than 67 per cent were determined not to have a child or another baby, a slight increase from 63.8 in 2012, according to the latest survey by the Family Planning Association.
The heavy financial burden of raising a child was one of the factors deterring women from pregnancy.
Only 15.3 per cent of female respondents said they were interested in raising kids, a further drop from 20.2 per cent in 2012.
If you want to change the minds of those people [who have not decided yet], there should be concrete measures … such as those related to financial matters
Hongkongers’ sexual activity has also shown a decline, as the survey revealed local couples only had sex an average of 3.7 times per month, slightly lower than the figure of 4.3 in 2012.