„The Threshold for Family Formation Has Risen“

Across Europe, starting a family is increasingly being postponed, and fewer people are making the transition to parenthood. Anna Rotkirch argues that the threshold for family formation has risen: first relationships are more likely to end before leading to parenthood, while the lack of a suitable partner has become a major barrier for people who want children. Digitalization and changing patterns of social interaction may contribute to weaker relationships, greater uncertainty, and growing hesitation about starting a family. At the same time, socioeconomic inequalities in family formation appear to be widening.

In our interview, Rotkirch explains why supporting people who want children requires looking beyond established family policies and addressing the conditions that shape family formation before a child is born. Drawing on the Finnish experience, she discusses innovative approaches such as Vauvasampo (“The Future Parents Fund”), a proposal to invest €5,000 at the birth of every child, with the accumulated assets paid out when that person later becomes a parent. Rotkirch argues that no single policy measure can restore fertility rates to replacement level. Instead, ageing societies need long-term institutional support to help people realize their family intentions. This requires sustained commitment not only from policymakers, but also from employers and society as a whole.

Read the full interview, “The Threshold for Family Formation Has Risen,” with Professor Anna Rotkirch – available here as a PDF in English.

This interview was conducted on 11 August 2026 by Natalie Klauser and Jacques Hermes.