The lack of choice: Agency, affordability, and pressures of starting a family

FILIPINO YOUTH often hear the familiar questions, "kailan ka mag-aasawa" or "kailan ka magkaka-anak?" ("When are you going to get married?" or "when are you going to have kids?").

- By Jose Roi Avena

Rarely do we ask the more important ones: Do you have a real choice? Are you ready-emotionally, financially, and with the support you need? Every August, we observe Family Planning Month in the Philippines and in light of the changing demographics and growing economic pressures, it's more important than ever to reframe the conversation. Placing the focus on the right to choose freely and confidently if, when, and how to build a family.

For too long, the conversation on family planning in the Philippines has been focused on numbers: on whether our fertility rate is too low or too high. But the real issue goes beyond statistics. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Sexual and Reproductive Health Agency's State of World Population 2025 (SWOP) report tells us the true challenge is reproductive agency.

Simply put, we need to make sure that everyone has the right and ability to decide freely about their own family life without pressure and, more importantly, without barriers. Think of a young Filipino couple, perhaps like Maria and Jose. They might dream of a big family, just one child, or maybe they prefer to have no children at all. Their choice is deeply personal and valid. What truly matters is that they have the freedom and support to make that decision that their dreams for their family can become a reality.

THE FAMILY PICTURE: A SNAPSHOT OF WHERE WE ARE