Lowest low fertility in Spain: Insights from the 2018 Spanish Fertility Survey

BACKGROUNDSpain has one of the most enduring low levels of fertility in the world, but desired fertility there is still close to two children. OBJECTIVESWe document recent fertility trends and examine the reasons that women and men provide for not achieving their desired fertility. METHODWe use data from the 2018 Spanish Fertility Survey (14,556 women and 2,619 men).We provide a cohort and age perspective and compare women and men.We use retrospective information and classify the reasons people report for not having (more) children. RESULTSEstimates on observed fertility, employment, and partnerships show that having a stable partner between the ages of 25 and 35 seems key in the transition to childbearing.Workfamily conflicts and insufficient economic resources are the main reasons women and