CIS - Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas

• 77.3% say they don't have children "due to a lack of financial means," according to the first study conducted by the CIS on "Fertility, Family, and Childhood."
• Nearly 70% “strongly agree or agree” that having children reduces the job opportunities and career progression of one or both parents.
• 47.6% of respondents believe that it is necessary to make working hours more flexible for workers with family responsibilities.
• 40.7% of people considering having children are concerned about the price of housing.

The CIS has conducted the first survey on fertility, family, and childhood. This survey addresses topics such as motherhood, work-life balance, and how having children affects one's career, among other issues.

Of those surveyed who don't have children, 58.9% would have liked to have them, while 36.7% didn't. Regarding the ideal number of children, 49.8% agreed that two children is ideal, while 27.4% agreed that three is best.

When asked about the reasons why people don't have children, 77.3% said it was due to a lack of financial means, 44.1% said it was due to problems balancing work and family life, and, in third place (26.4%) said it was due to a lack of support for their careers.

Fertility

Regarding the ideal age to have children, 50.1% say it is between 25 and 29 years old for women. Furthermore, 63.2% believe that between the ages of 31 and 40, women significantly lose their chances of achieving pregnancy. For men, the age range where they lose their chances of having children is between 41 and 50, according to 33.8%.
Among the issues respondents are considering when it comes to having children, the cost of housing in our country is a concern for 40.7% of respondents, and the unemployment rate in Spain is also a concern for 35.5%.

Breeding

93.1% “strongly agree or agree” that watching their children grow up is life’s greatest pleasure, 80.7% agree that children are a financial burden for parents, and 69.9% “strongly agree or agree” that having children reduces the job opportunities and career progression of one or both parents.

On the other hand, 58.3% strongly disagree or disagree that having children improves people's social prestige in society.

Job opportunities and children

53.7% of people believe that having children affects the mother more in terms of reducing job opportunities, compared to 0.5% who believe it affects the father more. And 15.1% say it affects both equally.

When asked about the birth of their first child, 24.3% of respondents stated they had used maternity and childcare leave, compared to 25.4% who said they had not. Regarding reduced working hours, only 5.6% stated they had used it, compared to 44.2% who said they had not. The number of childcare leave is even lower, at 2.3%.

19.4% of people say that having their first child has limited their career advancement opportunities, 15.3% say they have accepted a job below their qualifications, and 15.6% have reduced their work activity. Among women, the percentage increases, with 29.2% acknowledging that their career opportunities have been limited, compared to 9% of men.

Main problems of children

30.2% believe the main problem is the education system in our country, 30.1% believe it is the lack of education and values (such as respect, responsibility, and effort), and 20.3% believe it is the economic difficulties of their families (poverty).

Government measures to reconcile

47.6% of respondents believe it is necessary to make working hours more flexible for workers with family responsibilities, 31% say the personal income tax treatment of families with children needs to be improved, and 27.5% believe access to better housing for families with children needs to be facilitated.

Housework

Regarding household chores, 23.5% of women spend between 21 and 40 hours, compared to 12.6% for men.

Regarding the amount of time devoted to caring for a family member, the percentages between men and women vary greatly, especially in terms of hours devoted. 14.5% of women admit to spending more than 41 hours a week on this task, while the percentage of men falls to 7.3%.

15.5% of women admit that they "do much more than their share of work at home," while this figure drops to 2.7% for men. Conversely, 3.1% of women say they "do somewhat less than their share of work," while when asked about men, the figure rises to 15.4%.

These and other data are collected in the survey on fertility, family, and childhood, conducted from September 11 to 19 with a sample of 5,742 interviews.

Press release