Gen Z women postponing motherhood: what does it hold for Sri Lanka in future?

By Huzefa Aliasger and Pranavesh Sivakumar   

Gen Z women, those born between 1997 and 2012, want to postpone motherhood due to economic hardships and change in lifestyle from the previous generations. It holds uncertainty for the future of Sri Lanka and the world. The concerns that draw most attention are declining fertility rates, ageing and workforce shortages, while many still argue that the greatest threat to the planet is overpopulation.   

Sri Lanka is facing a decline in its growth rate, leading to social issues such as the shrinkage in the working age group and the increase in the aged population due to increased costs of living and change in lifestyle, which poses as a threat for the future to the government and society which if not addressed can be fallen into a permanent fertility trap.  

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in its 2025 World Population Report titled “The Real Fertility Crisis” have brought to light a number of concerning findings “that roughly half of all pregnancies are unintended, that public rhetoric around population size and fertility rates is driving fear, which can be, and has been, used to undermine reproductive rights.”  

Country Representative of the UNFPA- Sri Lanka Kunle Adeniyi in an event organized by the Ministry of Finance, Economic Stabilization, and National Policies in 2024 said that “By 2041, one in four Sri Lankans is projected to be over the age of 60. This transition, while reflective of improved healthcare, presents a challenge that is exacerbated by Sri Lanka’s lower per capita income and less developed social institutions compared to other countries experiencing similar trends.”  

The Department of Census and Statistics (DCS) said earlier that the population growth rate currently is at its lowest with the percentage hitting an all-time low of 0.5 per cent since 1871. In another statistic released by the DCS the data shows the number of births in Sri Lanka has decreased by 30.8 per cent since before COVID (2019) to 2024, during the same period the number of marriages decreased by 14.7 percent and the number of deaths increased by 17.2 per cent.   

The elderly population aged 80 plus have been constant since 2019 with a total of 293,000 persons of which 116,000 are males and 177,000 are females, however the working population aged 20-54 have been seeing a slight decrease of 3.35 per cent. Gen Z and Millennials face economic hardships  

The two generations of Gen Z and Millennials currently at child bearing age face various hardships as discussed by Professor Lakshman Dissanayake, the former Vice Chancellor of the Colombo University said “Gen Z is in the habit of postponing child births due to economic barriers such as rising living costs and economic uncertainty looming over the country.” In a conference organized by the UNFPA. The professor said that “postponing births would lead to Sri Lanka falling into a sub fertility trap.”  

According to the CSD, another 75 percent of households in the past year have limited their spending and cut down their household expenditure to cope with the effects of the economic crisis. Birth rates may have been impacted in this case as children are an economic burden for parents without sufficient savings and, with fluctuating prices of the vast medical and personal needs required for a new parent and baby, bringing a child into this world is not an easy option for couples.  

“I want children, but it’s becoming more difficult as time passes by. It is impossible to buy or have affordable rent in my city”, are some of the testimonials released by the UNFPA in its population report. Gen Z and Millennials want a stress free lifestyle Forbes in its article on Gen Z and their fertility rates say “women from that generation are closely following women from millennials, their predecessors, and postponing their parenting desires and decisions. Gen Z women want to postpone motherhood and have fewer children than that of millennials.”  Also based on a recent survey by them, over 1,000 members, amounting to 27 percent, don’t want to have kids. The survey went on to uncover as many as 89 percent of Gen Z women claim they want to be flexible with their lives, including rising the ranks in their careers.  

Along with a pay struggle for newfound mothers, they face a new lack of trust and value in the workplace. Research also reveals getting back into the workforce after taking maternity leave or a few years off to raise children is difficult to overcome.  

Kalubowila Teaching Hospital gynecologist Prof. Ajith Fernando in 2024 addressing the media said, “Many newlywed couples these days seem to be putting off the idea of having children. Instead, they prioritize earning more income, leading them to delay starting a family. For them, having kids is not a priority on their list. Some even choose to migrate elsewhere and aren’t considering coming back to Sri Lanka. As for the children who grow up here, many of them head abroad for further studies or job opportunities after their Advanced Level (A/L) exams. Whether they eventually return home or not is uncertain.”