Since the blog began we have always given news about the timid increase in birth in Spain, however today we have to tell another reality. According to 2009 data provided by the INE fewer babies are born for the first time in ten years In our country.
The birth rate has fallen by 5% and the average number of children per woman decreased to 1.40 after a decade of constant growth and its highest point in 2008.
The causes are attributed to several factors. On the one hand, the economic crisis we are going through, since many couples can barely keep a house to think about having a child or enlarging the family.
On the other hand, also influenced by the crisis, that the births of foreign mothers, which represent 20% of the total, also decreased (6%), either because many have returned to their countries of origin or because the Economic situation has put a brake on them when they have more children. It is also true that foreigners have gradually adapted to the European birth model, with fewer children, and not only because of the crisis.
In addition, there are other factors. As the INE points out, the results arise "from the combined effect of a progressive reduction in the number of women of childbearing age and of lower fertility." It also has to do with the difficult work and family reconciliation, of course it is a sum of circumstances.
As an analysis, we can say that as we had planned from the beginning, the 2,500-euro baby check that is supposed to promote birth has not helped much. The evidence is in sight, the births have not skyrocketed, on the contrary, they have descended.
But we will have to see to what extent the baby check has to do with births when there is no longer that benefit of 2,500 euros per birth that is still maintained until the end of 2010, an aid that although it is not decisive to influence a decision so important, being eliminated in the context of a generalized crisis, I think the impact will be greater. That is, I encourage you to predict that birth will continue to fall.
The unfortunate thing is that the great importance for society is not given to the promotion of birth.
