KUCHING: A survey has revealed that some Malaysian couples have called off their plans to have children due to the emergence and uncertainty of COVID-19.
A recent survey by Ipsos Malaysia showed that 26 per cent of Malaysians were against having a child or another child during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to New Straits Times, the survey was based on 10 countries, including Malaysia.
Its head of public affairs, Wan Nuradiahsaid the ideal number of children for Malaysians – was above three, while people in most countries, including Singapore, India and the United States, preferred to have more than two kids.
“The reasons why people choose to delay or not to have children, varies broadly from personal choices to macro level factors such as political instability.
“The emergence of Covid-19 has added an extra element of uncertainty – in Malaysia, concerns about the pandemic are the primary reason for delaying or deciding against having a child or another child,” she said.
Apart from that, the other major factors that discourage Malaysians from having one or more children include existing caring responsibilities (18 per cent), potential impact to career (13 per cent), concerns due to political stability (12 per cent) and completing their studies (10 per cent).
The survey also found that both Malaysian men and women viewed raising, or extending a family, as a potential barrier to their career advancement, especially women as they were more concerned than their male spouses that having children would more likely damage their career.
Meanwhile, 15 per cent of the men and women equally felt that having children might make them unable or unwilling to socialise with their colleagues.
Wan said decisions to have children while building a career are often seen as a trade-off, especially for women.
“Although caring responsibilities are expected to have more of an adverse effect on a woman’s career, it is not completely one-sided. Many Malaysians consider it a challenge that men face as well,” she added.
