Readers’ reactions

Birth rate continues to fall as more Jamaicans prefer small family sizes

“Good! Food prices are ridiculous, housing market is ridiculous, and everything else is just as ridiculous.” – @Shanzi_a

“There are other factors besides financial, urbanisation, or a preference for smaller families. The data is interesting, since the pandemic caused many people to stay at home. This would naturally result in increased births among married people or couples who cohabit.” – @StephenGLFox

‘Pickeney cost money, inuh.” – @UcanWen_

“’Preference?’ I’d prefer a larger salary so I can prefer to expand my family. Unu see school fee?” – @julius_demato

“Place too crowded, man.” - @kakafaat

“The cost of living is too high. Eighty per cent of the supermarket bill is for my son.” – @hall_oneil

“Yea, I’m going back to God the way I came here.” – @Heisenberg1823

“I can barely take care of myself.” – @Berry_Wild91

“Long time mi nuh see a pregnant woman.” – @kayles_kay

“How many Jamaicans of reproductive age can actually reproduce?” – @vidokti

“We’d rather not contribute to the poverty cycle.” – @VasPwnz

“I can’t live the life I want to, much less to bring a child in this madness. Call me selfish, but I don’t see the sense at all.” – @rn_livi

“Bringing children into the world to suffer? People have it hard as it is.” – @pwalkerbooks

“This must be a joke, ‘cause things going up and it’s hard to be taking care of four to six kids if a parent isn’t working, or if it’s just one parent working; or if the job not paying that much to sustain the family, it’s gonna be hard.” – @ChrisD52357716

“This is how important women are! We need to be respected. What if every woman decides on not having children?” – @chocolate_876

“I don’t even know if me want kids, ‘cause me can’t even take care of myself in this country.” – @Lyttle_94

“Good. The country has a serious parenting problem anyway.” – @Someboddi

“It costs me close to $100k per month to care for my ONE son as a ‘trying-to-be-a-good’ father. Not to mention emotional investment. Pickney nuh cheap, nor easy to care and love! Who nuh born yet salt!” – @IamDAnderson1

Readers’ reactions sourced from The Gleaner’s X (formerly Twitter) page. Compiled by Khanique McDaniel