The film “” portrays the kidnapping and disappearance of deputy Rubens Paiva, in 1971, with a special focus on the trajectory of his wife, Eunice. An interesting aspect, especially in comparison to current families, is the fact that the couple had five children, something that was quite common at the time, but rare nowadays.
In the 1960s, the fertility rate per woman in Brazil, according to data from the World Bank, was 6.1. This number was well above the population replacement rate, of 2.1, and the world average at the time, of 4.7. In 2022, this rate fell to 1.6.
To take care of a family with many members and optimize their benefits, many couples adopted what economists call specialization in production. This means that one of the spouses specialized in paid work, while the other, usually the woman, dedicated herself to care and household chores (unpaid work). Today, Brazilian families are very different from those in the 1960s. In 2022, the fertility rate was approximately 1.6, while the world average was 2.27. What has happened since then to explain this?
The division of labor between spouses has changed over time. In the country, there was a significant increase in education, especially among women, accompanied by a substantial increase in female participation in the labor market (which went from 15.45% in 1960 to 53.7% in 2022). Therefore, we observed that, in many households, both spouses are in the job market. However, the division of care work is still unequal, particularly in Brazil, which puts a burden on women, who face the so-called double shift.
winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2023, discusses in the article “Babies and the Macroeconomy” the relationship between economic growth, greater female participation in the labor market and a drop in fertility.
It classifies countries into two groups: the first, with moderate fertility rates in the 1950s (around 2), which remained stable until 2010, including the United States, France and England; and the second, with high rates until 1970, but which in 2020 fell to very low levels (around 1.3), such as South Korea, Italy, Portugal and Japan. This last group includes predominantly Catholic countries or with different social norms of the Western ones. Although not analyzed in the study, Brazil, with accelerated growth until 1980, would come closer to this second group.
She highlights that countries that have experienced rapid and abrupt economic growth tend to have the lowest fertility rates today. This may be linked to a generational conflict, caused by the lag between the speed of changes in the job market and the adaptation of domestic dynamics. On the one hand, women demand greater participation from their partners in care; on the other hand, more traditional spouses may not be willing to adjust the time dedicated to these tasks. This divergence could result in even sharper drops in fertility rates.
Several governments have expressed concern about the sharp drop in fertility rates, especially due to population aging, which impacts the economy with increased spending on health and social security, in addition to, on average, reducing labor productivity.
Although governments should not directly interfere in family decisions, they can implement public policies to accelerate changes in social norms. It is essential to value fatherhood, creating conditions for fathers to care for their children through increased paternity leave and more flexible work models.
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