The Propensity for Parenthood in Italy Between Cultural Orientations, Individual Choices, and Welfare Policies

Emiliana Mangone (), Giuseppe Masullo, Francesca Cubeddu and Miriam Matteo
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Emiliana Mangone: Department of Political and Communication Sciences, University of Salerno, 84084 Salerno, Italy
Giuseppe Masullo: Department of Human Sciences, Philosophy and Education, University of Salerno, 84084 Salerno, Italy
Francesca Cubeddu: Institute for Research on Population and Social Policies, National Research Council, 00185 Rome, Italy
Miriam Matteo: Department of Political and Social Studies, University of Salerno, 84084 Salerno, Italy

Social Sciences, 2025, vol. 14, issue 3, 1-21

Abstract: The birth rate data in Italy continue to be discouraging. They are taking on the nature of a structural problem given the continuous decline in population, which is neither accompanied by significant structural policies to promote parenthood, nor supporting the births of fertile generations. This study uses a mixed methods approach and was started in 2022 with the creation of six focus groups in the southern Italian regions of Basilicata, Campania, Calabria, Molise, Puglia, and Sicily. Images taken from the “Fertility Day” social communication campaign were used as a visual stimulus to initiate the discussion. In 2024, it continued with a survey based on a pilot study at a hospital involving pregnant women in southern Italy. The results show that the choice to become parents is not only interconnected with either socio-economic issues or the presence/absence of services and incentives but also relates to emerging cultural models that need to be better understood. On this basis, the dual role of institutions in promoting policies therefore becomes fundamental. On the one hand, the “guarantors” of human, civil, and social rights, which have been developed and established over the centuries, are significant. On the other hand, the “promoters” of parental support pathways are needed.

Keywords: parenthood; Italy; welfare policies; individualization; culture (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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