MAMMA MIA! A Dialogue on the Role of Motherhood and Low Birthrates Today.
MAMMA MIA!
Motherhood in Numbers (in Italy and in The Netherlands).
Motherhood in Numbers (in Italy and in The Netherlands).
A Dialogue on the Role of Motherhood and Low Birth Rates Today.
You are all kindly invited to this (online) event on “Motherhood”, with experts as guest speakers:
Letizia Mencarini (Bocconi University)- for the Italian Perspective
Maria Vliek (Sociaal en Cultureel Planbureau) – for the Dutch perspective
Maria Vliek (Sociaal en Cultureel Planbureau) – for the Dutch perspective
The event will be moderated by journalist Jarl Van der Ploeg
The event is free for everybody, but registration is required >> Sign up here
You are all kindly invited to this (online) event on “Parenthood and democraphic challenges within Italy and the Netherlands”, with experts as guest speakers:
* Prof. Letizia Mencarini (Bocconi University)- for the Italian Perspective
* Dr. Maria Vliek (Sociaal en Cultureel Planbureau) – for the Dutch perspective
The event will be moderated by journalist Jarl Van der Ploeg
Abstract:
Many Italian and Dutch women are still viewed as the heart of the family, and the primary caregivers for children, even if they pursue successful careers. Many couples follow the values of the church, getting married, and having children raised by the mother. Birth rates are declining in Europe, with couples having one or two children at a later age. Is the new generation of well-educated parents able to choose between being independent and being focused on a career, or getting married and having a family? Why are LGBTQ+ couples and immigrants still struggling in finding recognition for their children? As both Italy and the Netherlands thus appear to be similarly struggling in this regard, is there anything the two countries can learn from each other? Are they going in the same directions with their policies? And what is the EU stance on the topic?
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More detailed description:
Young people are making fewer and fewer babies, this demographic trend is visible throughout Europe. The Netherlands and Italy have similar problems in this regard. In Italy a record-low amount of babies came to life in 2022, as the Italian birth rate fell to just over 1.2 children per woman and the country failed to reach the 400,000-newborn threshold for the first time in its history. The results of this tendency whose start dates back to 2008, when Italian women gave birth to almost 50% more babies, is a shrinking and ever-aging population. Moreover, the tendency of young men and women resettling elsewhere in Europe for studies or jobs, exacerbates the average age issue.
Meanwhile, in the Netherlands, similar problems are emerging, such as the lack of childcare and high costs for housing that are deterring young couples. The birth rate remains stagnant at only about 1.6 children per woman – well below the replacement rate, and in 2022 the country saw more deaths than births for the first time in over a century. External migration helps mitigate the nativity problem, as both countries attract a large number of young people annually. Having said that, the issues of an aging population and of an insufficient amount of newborns are by no means unique to Italy and the Netherlands, as statistics from all the Western world – with only a few exceptions – highlight the very same dynamics.
Whether this tendency is endemic to the socioeconomic system currently in place remains to be seen, but in any case it raises many other questions. Is there enough parental support or has the lack thereof become impossible for local governments to overcome? What are the challenges new parents, and especially mothers, experience in their professional careers and how can they find a good balance with their parenthood? Has the people’s mentality shifted towards a more individualistic one or do uncertainties about the future play a bigger role?
As both Italy and the Netherlands thus appear to be similarly struggling in this regard, is there anything the two countries can learn from each other? Are they going in the same directions with their policies? And what is the EU stance on the topic?
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This event is organised by the Programme of Italian Language and Culture at Leiden University, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.