Some weeks ago, The Associated Press (AP) published an article about Gen-Z and millennials’ reluctance on becoming parents where both cohorts cited reasons such as overwhelming student debts, climate crisis, and low salaries as some of the main reasons why they are not looking to have children.

Generation Z, colloquially known as zoomers, is the demographic group succeeding millennials and preceding generation Alpha. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1990s as starting birth years and the early 2010s as the ending birth years.

Generation Z is the most popular with 18,378, 493 inhabitants representing 33.42 percent. Millennials are 12, 123, and 453 representing 22.05 percent.

Both generations make up 55.47 percent. 81.06 percent of Kenyans are aged 39 years and below. Birth rates and fertility have been steadily lessening for the last few years. Presently, people of childbearing ages, many of whom fall in this demographic — that is, millennials and gen-z are delaying childbearing thus showing reluctance in starting a family.

Kenya has not been spared either thus being put in line with the rest of the world where young women have delayed motherhood.

This is a worrying trend that has raised concerns for years now on why this up-and-coming generation including the Millenials, has shown reluctance in childbirth.

Notably, childbirth is a significant phase in the life of women of reproductive age which is always unpredictable and not well elucidated both theoretically and in the available literature.

Motherhood is often hyped as an experience that is bound to bring joy, fulfillment, and purpose to a woman’s life.

However, some Gen Z individuals deliberately choose not to start a family attributing they value their freedom and they are not ready to dedicate 18 or more years of their lives to taking care of children and others desire to take life on their terms and excel in their career supersedes the desire of becoming parents.

New data in the latest economic survey report shows that Kenya’s fertility rate has gone down, particularly in urban areas.

The total fertility rate for 2019 was 3.4 births which marks a drop of about one birth from 4.8 births in 2009. On lifetime fertility, the results revealed that the proportion of female teenagers aged 15-19 with no child had increased from 77pc in 2009 to 90pc in 2019.

At the same time, women aged 20-24 with no child increased since 2009 up from 35 pc in 2009 to 46 pc in 2019. According to the Associated Press, this trend can be attributed to several factors.

Chief among them is an expensive economy, which was riddled by the pandemic and lacks affordable childcare, coinciding with decades of progress for professional women as choosing to be child-free becomes less of a taboo.

Many women in the world today also have so many opportunities, which has prompted them to seek other paths to fulfillment.

Women have more options than ever when it comes to how to spend their time, energy, and money. Worth noting, that the declining birthrate is about when having access to education and employment.

Empowerment and other life-sustaining opportunities have prompted them to postpone having children until their 30s or 40s.

Climate change is another factor. It adds more uncertainty, making gen-z and some millennials wary of bringing a child into an environment increasingly shaped by global warming.

Climate change has influenced their reproductive decisions. Uncertainty about the future is making zoomers worry about overpopulation and overconsumption.

In the country, for example, climate change has unceasingly impacted the lives of many people plus the environment. It has led to more frequent extreme weather events like droughts which last longer than usual, irregular and unpredictable rainfall, flooding, and increasing temperatures.

Others just aren’t interested in having kids, a sentiment that has become a lot more socially acceptable in recent years. Students in colleges and those who have recently graduated are overwhelmed by debts.

They are focusing on how they will clear them. With over 13 million Kenyans blacklisted at Credit Reference Bureau (CRB) and huge HELB loans to repay, this trend shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone.

Zoomers are facing immense pressure from their family members to start a family. What they fail to understand is that unwelcoming changes in the economy, overwhelming debts, changes in climate, and scarcity of gainful employment opportunities are the main reasons for their reluctance.

Many people today have not realized those are the factors that are making zoomers and some millennials reluctant in starting a family. They have argued that it is a personal choice attributed to many factors and their decisions should be given due respect.

With the foregoing, it is clear that if these causes are addressed early, the fear, unwillingness, and reluctance will be lessened thus prompting them to change this mindset. As time goes by, we might witness an unprecedented increase in the birth rate in the country.

The blue star insider.

By; Jackson Ngari and Maxwell kamau.