She’s (Not) Having a Baby

Executive Summary Canada’s fertility rate has fallen persistently for the last 15 years with no clear bottom in sight. To some commentators, this is a harbinger of troubles ahead, as smaller and smaller cohorts of young Canadians may struggle to bear the load of supporting retirees and integrating immigrants. To others, this is cause for celebration—a victory for women’s equality and a boon in combatting climate change. In this report, we introduce another perspective on Canada’s falling fertility rates, asking not how the fertility choices of Canadian women affect the economy or the environment but whether those behaviours reflect what women want. Through a novel survey of nearly 3,000 women aged 18 to 44, we explore family and fertility preferences, expectations, and outcomes. We find that few women in Canada have “excess” (undesired) births but that a considerable share of Canadian women will end their reproductive years with “missing” children, that is, reporting that they desire more children that they will not likely have. Women with “missing” children are not an exception. They make up almost half of women near the end of their reproductive careers, and they report lower life satisfaction than women who achieve their family-size desires