ILOILO City – The fertility rates of women in Western Visayas are steadily declining these past three decades, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed.
The Commission on Population and Development (CPD) Region 6 is sounding the alarm. A decline in population could result to a shrinking labor force, which in turn would impact on the region’s economy, although this also presents opportunities in education, health and nutrition, among others.
Based on the 2022 National Demographic and Health Survey (NHDS), the region’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR) is 2.2 children per woman.
TFR is the average number of children a woman would have by the end of her child-bearing years.
Here are the TFRs of the region in the surveyed years:
* 3.0 T in 2017
* 3.8 in 2013
* 3.3 in 2008
* 4.0 in 2003
* 4.0 in 1998
* 4.2 in 1993
The 2022 NHDS was conducted from May 2 to June 20, 2022.
“Declining fertility has implications…to the region, across sectors and at the household level,” said Director Harold Alfred P. Marshall of CPD-6.
In demography and economics, three key factors contribute to fertility reduction.
Women’s education plays a significant role, as higher levels of education tend to correlate with fewer children.
Another factor is female labor force participation. Women who join the workforce often limit their family size.
Children’s health and reduced mortality rates also contribute to lower fertility rates.
Government policies regarding health services, family planning, and education influence demographic transition, too.
According to CPD-6, decreasing TFR allows economies and societies to develop and provide sufficient time for the labor force, employment opportunities, and new investments that address poverty and societal challenges.
Conversely, a high fertility rate – and increase in population – can increase young dependents, limit employment opportunities, and threaten financial sustainability concerns.
While a sustained low fertility opens a window of opportunity for economic growth, concerns lie especially at very low levels.
“Region 6 is one of the most notable lagging regions in terms of position to reap the benefits of the demographic dividend because economic resources are not free enough to go into savings and investment,” said Marshall.
The reason is the relatively higher number of effective consumers than the number of effective workers in the region, he said.
However, sustaining low fertility, reducing unwanted fertility, narrowing the gap between wanted and unwanted fertility, and preventing a high fertility rebound remain ongoing challenges, sid Marshall./PN
