2023-06-02 19:08:08
Italy has the lowest birth rate in Europe. The precariousness as well as the difficulties for women to reconcile maternity and professional life are in question. Linked to the aging of the population, this declining birth rate worries the Italian government.
The locality of Oristano, in Sardinia, holds a sad record in Italy: 46 births per 1000 inhabitants. Its trustee Massimiliano Sanna explains his concerns Friday in the 7:30 p.m. of the RTS: “It is one of the cities where we live best, our province has one of the best qualities of life, but for the over 65 years.”
Beyond this particular case, the whole country is concerned. In 2022, only 393,000 children were born in Italy. The fertility rate has fallen to 1.24 children per woman, lower than in Switzerland (1.38) and than in the rest of Europe (1.5). Sardinia even ranks at the bottom of the pack with a rate of 0.95 births per woman.
Sardinia no longer has children
Alessandra, 38, has just given birth to her first child. She considers herself lucky, because she will benefit from the baby bonus. “The region will give an allowance to encourage births, 600 euros per month, it’s not nothing,” she rejoices.
At the maternity ward, her roommate Eleonora has just had her second child. In Sardinia, she is considered exceptional because, by choosing to have several children, her new job searches will be problematic. “In job interviews, we are asked, and it is penalizing in some cases,” denounces the young mother.
These moms are heroines. When I visit them, I tell them that they are giving a gift to society
This year, at the Oristano maternity ward, barely 180 babies were born. For hospital staff, these women are courageous mothers, says the head of the gynecology-obstetrics department Francesca Campus. “They are heroines! When I visit them, I tell them: with this baby, you have made a gift to yourself, but above all to society.”
Here, children are endangered creatures. To help families, the local crèche will now be open until 4:30 p.m. A small revolution, according to the trustee of Oristano: “To be able to take care of their children, mothers often have to give up their jobs.”
Are migrants the solution?
Job insecurity is the main cause of the declining birth rate, yet it has not always been so, explains a resident of the island. “Before, many families had 6, 7 or even 10 children.”
The influx of migrants in Italy might solve the problems linked to the birth rate, in particular the lack of manpower. However, the restaurant owner of the “Riva Nord” in Torregrande complains of not finding staff for his bar, for the service in the dining room and in the kitchen. “I haven’t received any migrant applications, so I don’t know what to think.”
To curb the aging of the population, the Italian government considers that welcoming migrants is not the solution. He wants to encourage families to procreate. Objective by 2030: 500,000 babies per year.
>> Read also: No longer making ends meet, Italians are still having fewer children
TV Subject: Valerie Dupont
Adaptation web: Miroslav Mares
1685737743
#Sardinia #island #longer #children #birth #rate #lowest #Italy #rts.ch
