We must seek a reliable answer to the question of why Polish women declare they do not want to have children, asked Father Robert Wieladek
"This is a task that falls to all of us: to the State, to society, and to the Church," emphasizes Father Robert Wieladek, Director of the National Center for Family Pastoral Care of the Polish Bishops' Conference, referring to the recently published CBOS survey.
As he states, such surveys can be an alarm signal, but they must be approached calmly. The CBOS survey, published on January 11 of this year, shows, among other things, that nearly 70% of Polish women aged 18 to 45 have no plans for procreation, while 40% of childless women aged 18 to 45 have no intention at all of having children.
According to Father Wielądek, "it is very important to ask the question of why such declarations are made. We can only guess at the reasons; we should not speak about them without conducting specific research. Moreover, these reasons are likely complex and varied," he emphasizes.
As he says, we often too simplistically reduce the reluctance to have children to economic issues. "But is it the wealthiest who have the most children? We see that is not the case. Are finances the sole cause of women's distance from motherhood, from their fears, from their anxieties?"
Perhaps it is also a question of lifestyle, other priorities, the fact that we live in an emotionally difficult time, or perhaps it is a kind of prejudice resulting from the fact that today many women have real fertility problems?
"If, as Pope Francis has repeatedly said, we were to accompany those who make such declarations, we could probably only observe how complex these reasons are, how different each life story is," states the Priest.
"Therefore, I would not want to draw simplistic conclusions," he adds.
According to him, such declarations must also be approached with serenity. It is not a given that declarations are followed by concrete life decisions.
As Father Wieladek points out, we observe today that motherhood is being postponed, which can have consequences for fertility and the number of offspring. Demographics are becoming an increasing problem, and the concrete numbers are already an alarm signal for society as a whole.
However, the reluctance to have children is not only a potential economic problem. From a Christian perspective, in which man finds fulfillment in the gift of self to another—something that can be beautifully discovered in marriage and parenthood—renouncing this can make it difficult for some to attain a certain level of happiness, fulfillment, and self-realization.
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"As a family ministry, we constantly try to emphasize the value and beauty of marriage and family life. We try to show that parenthood is attractive and that it brings happiness.
The great task for us and, as I emphasize, not only for us, but for everyone, is to answer the question of why women in Poland see things differently," concludes Father Wieladek.
This article was originally published by Ekai (Article Link).