In the previous article, we outlined the freezing point of Taiwan's fertility rate in 2025, and the shadow that has been created by the childcare safety incident. Behind the figures, there are countless young people who are hesitating, struggling, and eventually turning away from the crossroads of childbearing. Why do they not dare to have children? This is not due to a single reason, but rather a combination of heavy financial burden, rigid social structure and workplace environment, and a newly torn and brutal defense of trust.
When talking about the financial pressure of having a child, many people's intuitive impression may be the initial cost of formula, diapers and childcare. However, with the current childcare subsidy, the monthly payment for childcare for the 0-2 year old stage is still a burden, but for many families, what really makes them hesitate, or even shy away, from the decision to have a child is the much larger and long-term financial commitment - the heavy pressure of a mortgage, and the deep-seated anxiety about investing in the education of the next generation.
Mr. José Antonio González
The Pressure of "Having a Home is Having a Family" and the Burden of Mortgages: It is a common belief in Chinese society that "having a home is having a fortune", and owning your own home is often seen as the foundation for starting a family and building a business. The initiation of a childbearing program is often accompanied by the need to purchase a larger, more stable home. However, with the high cost of housing in Taiwan (especially in the metropolitan areas), this can mean a huge mortgage payment of up to 20 to 30 years. Just the thought of monthly mortgage payments is enough to make many young families with limited salaries choke on the idea of having another child. A mortgage is not only a financial burden, but also a long-term constraint on quality of life and financial flexibility for decades to come.
「不能輸在起跑線」的教育投資焦慮： 在極度重視教育與文憑的台灣社會，對子女教育的投入被視為父母的責任與期望。這份期望在資源有限與競爭激烈的環境下，演變成巨大的焦慮感，具體體現在：
・The buzzing "public-private school debate": This is one of the most important topics for parents in the near future (2025). While public schools offer low tuition, parents may be concerned about the quality of instruction, teacher qualifications, peer environment, or the desire to be in a stellar school district; while many private schools boast small class sizes, bilingualism, or specialty programs, but the high tuition (hundreds of thousands of dollars a year) and fierce competition for enrollment discourages or stresses many families. The dilemma of choosing an education and the huge cost difference behind it is a heavy burden on parents' minds.
・Army Race" type of extra investment: In addition to school education, in order to make their children more "competitive", there is a seemingly endless stream of tutoring, talent classes, and programming classes, from pre-school all-American kindergartens to after-school age. Many parents feel that if they don't follow this trend and invest a lot of money, their children will be left behind in the competition. This expectation of huge educational expenses, pushed by the social atmosphere, constitutes a huge uncertainty about the future of finances.
To summarize, the main economic factor that suppresses the willingness to have children is no longer just the initial cost of raising children, but also the deep concern and insecurity about the financial situation in the next few decades brought about by the two big mountains of "mortgage" and "long-term investment in education". This anticipatory burden on the future has caused many families who can still afford to have children to choose to have fewer children or even none at all.
Even if they manage to cross the economic threshold, the social structure and workplace environment often constitute the next hurdle.
The "liver-bursting" workplace culture: The long working hours, high stress, and "responsibility-based" culture prevalent in Taiwan have left many office workers physically and mentally exhausted, and with no energy left after work to meet the challenges of parenting.
The support for childcare that can't be seen or eaten: Although the law protects the right to parental leave and maternity leave, in the actual workplace, the pressure of worrying about the impact on performance, promotion or even disguised dismissal makes many people (especially women) afraid to take or take the full amount of parental leave. The proportion of fathers taking parental leave is even lower, showing that the concept of shared parenting and support still needs to be strengthened.
The Shackles of Traditional Gender Roles: In our society and culture, the primary responsibility for childcare often remains with women. Many women are forced to make difficult choices between career advancement and family care, a "motherhood penalty" that is clearly not conducive to increased fertility.
A marketing manager who just returned to the workplace from maternity leave laughs bitterly, "I work hard at the office during the day and continue to work hard at home at night. My husband wants to help, but the company's atmosphere prevents him from taking a long vacation. I feel like a gyroscope, and I don't know how long I can keep spinning.
In addition to the above long-standing pressures, the most worrying thing in recent years has been the rift in trust that has profoundly affected the "dare to give birth" issue. The "shadow" mentioned in the first article originates from this.
Conclusion:
In Taiwan in 2025, the reason why young people are "afraid to give birth" is the result of the overlapping and interactive effects of economic burdens, social shackles, and trust crises. Each of these pressures is enough to deter people from having children, and the cracks in the trust system throw a huge stone into this precarious balance. Understanding these intertwined causes will allow us, in the next article, to see more clearly what kind of worrying future this crisis will lead Taiwan to if it does not respond proactively.
