Babies and families

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Several countries are experiencing a fall in the number of babies being born and this has potentially serious consequences. Japan’s Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, has warned that his country is on the brink of not being able to function as a society. The problem is an increasingly elderly population and not enough younger people to keep the country ticking over. China is seeing record low birth rates and South Korea has the lowest rate of women having babies in the world. Youtubers Sarah and Kyuho in the South Korean capital Seoul, describe some of the pressures and reactions they experienced when they said they are not planning to have kids. We also bring together two Japanese women, Yuko and Nobuko. Yuko tells host James Reynolds how she had to give up her job because she could not find childcare for her daughter in Tokyo, and how attitudes from some men can still be a barrier to women trying to balance bringing up children with a successful career. We also hear from three women in the US and Sweden who have chosen not to have children. Tina May in New Orleans tell us: “I’m living a free, fantastical black magic life and I can go anywhere I want, sleep-in whenever I want, I can have alone time, friend time, I can travel the world.” (Photo: Newborn baby sleeping on a white rug. Credit: Getty Images)