Does anyone still want kids? Families are shrinking as people have fewer children or none at all [Video]

Demographers, sociologists and your mother-in-law want to know: why aren’t people having as many kids? 

Canada recorded its lowest-ever fertility rate for the second year in a row in 2023, according to Statistics Canada, at 1.26 children born per woman. It now joins the ranks of “lowest-low” fertility countries, including South Korea, Spain, Italy and Japan.

Statistics Canada said the drop between 2022 and 2023 specifically reflects an increase in the number of women of childbearing age, but also noted the fertility rate has been steadily declining for more than 15 years. 

Experts have linked a range of factors with reproductive decision-making, including the rising cost of living and eco-anxiety. 

More people are also delaying parenthood until later in life, which can shorten their reproductive window.

But there’s also a significant cultural aspect — larger families with multiple children are simply no longer the ideallike they were a few generations ago, said Lisa Strohschein, a sociology professor at the University of Alberta …