By Jose Roi Avena
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?”). 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 AREFamily planning, at its core, is about empowering individuals to achieve their desired family size. This includes crucial access to modern family planning methods vital for preventing unintended pregnancies and planning the timing and spacing of children. Beyond this, it’s also about the support, information, and resources people need to realize their reproductive aspirations. Whether that means preventing a pregnancy now, or having the resources and environment to welcome children when they are ready, your family picture is for you to create.
In many ways, the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RPRH) Law (RA 10354) has already taken this into consideration. It explicitly states that the State recognizes and guarantees “universal access to medically safe, non-abortifacient, effective, legal, affordable, and quality reproductive healthcare services, methods, devices, and supplies.” Furthermore, it mandates that “each family shall have the right to determine its ideal family size” and that the State shall equip parents with the necessary information on all aspects of family life, including reproductive health and responsible parenthood, to aid in this decision.
The question is: how many Filipinos have achieved their desired family size?
Analyzing the microdata from the 2022 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), we learned that nearly 70% of Filipino women aged 40 and above had a family size that didn’t match what they ideally wanted, with 38.1% reporting fewer children than ideal and 30.2% reporting more than ideal. This gap between dreams and reality is at the heart of the “real fertility crisis.”
WHY OUR DESIRED FAMILIES REMAIN OUT OF REACHWhat is stopping young Filipinos from starting the families they dream of? UNFPA’s report highlights clear barriers, many of which hit close to home, reflecting persistent systemic challenges.
The biggest hurdle is often economic insecurity. The SWOP report found that a staggering 39% of people globally cited financial limits as a reason for not having their desired number of children.
Beyond direct financial constraints, job insecurity and housing problems continue to be major challenges.
For many young Filipinos, this means struggling to find stable, good-paying jobs while coping with the rising costs of basic needs such as housing, transportation, and food.
Social factors also play a big part, particularly the unequal sharing of unpaid care work. Women often spend three to 10 times more hours on household chores and caring for family members than men. This imbalance limits women’s opportunities and directly affects their choices about having children. When couples share these responsibilities more fairly, they feel more supported and confident in building the families they desire.
A FOCUS ON CHOICE AND HOPEThis Family Planning Month, it’s time to shift our focus from numbers to people. The real fertility crisis isn’t about how many Filipinos there are, but whether every Filipino has the freedom and support to create the family they desire, on their own terms.
To make this a reality, we must collectively commit to action. And that means fully supporting the implementation of the RPRH Law and ensuring adequate budgets are allocated and spent to reach every Filipino.
Real progress means fostering more equitable social structures and shared responsibilities within families. We have to confront and actively challenge outdated and unequal gender norms that put the burden mostly on women.
Ultimately, we need to provide comprehensive support to young couples and families by directly addressing the economic and social barriers that stand in the way of their reproductive choices and aspirations. This includes investing in job creation, affordable housing, and accessible childcare, foundations that allow families to grow with stability and dignity.
By investing in comprehensive health services, promoting economic fairness, upholding human rights, and fully implementing the RPRH Law, we can build a world where young people are not held back by barriers beyond their control. A future where Maria and Jose, and all young Filipinos, can start a family if they choose to, not because they are pressured to, and not because they are denied the chance. This is how we build a more equal, sustainable, and hopeful future for everyone.
Jose Roi Avena is the assistant representative and officer-in-charge of the United Nations Population Fund in the Philippines.
