With parents having fewer kids, Malaysia is facing a decreasing fertility rate

The lack of good yet affordable childcare is one of the reasons why some couples have fewer children. — 123rf.com

IT’S AN accepted truth that raising children is both difficult and expensive. In urban areas, the pressure to make ends meet, coupled with the difficulty in finding reliable childcare and lack of extended family to help, have pushed many families to limit the number of children they have.

Decreasing fertility rates, however, does not only impact family size. It also reduces population growth, which accelerates the country’s course towards an ‘ageing nation’.