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Women are often targeted and held accountable for fertility decisions.

Men generaly avoid "blame" for falling birthrates.

Society is quick to criticize women who decide not to have children or are “one and done.”

Changing the conversation to include men might lead to a balanced understanding of fertility complexities.

Amid a global drop in fertility, it seems women alone are being held responsible. But why?Sabrina Jurain, regional advisor of data and population dynamics at the United Nations Population Fund in Latin America and the Caribbean, sees an unhealthy pattern. "Too often, public discourse reduces fertility decisions to women’s personal preferences or blames women for ‘not wanting more,’ without considering the emotional, relational, economic and structural struggles behind that decision,” according to Jurain.

Women take the heat while men largely escape scrutiny or criticism for decisions about having or not having children—but they are half the equation.

For decades, I have tracked family size and the changes that have led to the one-child family becoming the fastest-growing family unit. The deficits and choices women face force them to adjust, sacrifice, or scramble to have a family and hold a job. Women take the brunt of the censure for their family-size decisions—particularly those who choose to have one child or no children.

At the same time, men’s significant role is mostly ignored. But that doesn’t square with the reality: Fertility is a team game, and men should share in any "blame" for fewer babies being born.

Finger Pointing Around Declining Birth Rates

While some men are stepping up in many areas related to parenting, they too often get a pass in matters of........

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