The decline in birth rates has become a topic on political and media agendas worldwide. In 1970, women had an average of 4.8 children, but by 2024, that figure had dropped to 2.2. In Argentina, this trend is also evident: between 2014 and 2022, the birth rate fell from 18.2 to 10.7 per thousand inhabitants, and the number of newborns decreased from 770,000 to 460,902 over a decade. These figures reflect a profound change in the perception of motherhood. According to obstetrician Mario Sebastiani, more and more women associate having a child with a significant loss of freedom and an investment of time and resources whose 'return' is uncertain in an unstable economic context. This shift in personal and family priorities is combined with structural conditions that make it difficult to plan for long-term child-rearing. Sebastiani emphasizes that the decline in birth rates cannot be understood without considering advances in reproductive rights, universal access to contraception, and the freedom to choose the timing of motherhood. 'Having a child has ceased to be a biological mandate to become a chosen project, and this transformation is an indicator of autonomy and social maturity,' he highlights. However, he warns that the decision to start a family requires material conditions to support that project: housing, basic services, health, education, time, and quality of life. 'From this perspective, the debate on birth rates is strengthened when reproductive freedom is protected and long-term policies are designed that put people's well-being at the center, not the urgency of the moment,' concludes the obstetrician.
