Conditions of building a family in the Philippines

In the year 2023, childlessness is now common in progressive and developed countries (Buchanan and Rotkirch, 2013). In the Philippines, this is slowly gaining ground like other developing nations. However, this topic is controversial at the same time as Most Filipinos still consider building a family in the Philippines difficult and as the country has strong cultural expectations for couples to have children as Family is still considered to be the foundation of social life for most Filipinos (Medina, 2001). The Philippines is also a predominantly catholic country that is why most Filipinos believe that a child is a gift from God and brings good luck to families (Concepcion & De Guzman, 1981). Because of these beliefs and culture, Filipinos have higher expectations for couples to bear children which puts much pressure especially for women in the Philippines (Tudy 2020).

As a third world country, numerous Filipino households encounter financial difficulties, such as inflation, unemployment, and low pay. Weak economy also affects the healthcare of the nation as there are challenges to access and enforcement of universal and affordable healthcare. These elements may have an impact on a couple’s capacity to pay for housing, medical care, education, and other costs related to starting a family. In the legal framework, marriage, adoption, child welfare, abortions still lack implementations of the laws, and some are still in continuous discussions and debates.