Half of Swiss young adults aspire to two-child family model

The two-child family model still in vogue Keystone-SDA

The two-child family model is still very much alive. A good half of young adults aspire to it, but the reality for older people doesn't match this dream. And mothers still do more childcare than fathers.

These are the findings of the Family Survey 2023, conducted by the Federal Statistical Office. According to these figures, 53% of people aged between 20 and 29 would like to have two children, 25% plan to have at least three, 5% just one, and almost one young person in five (17%) is not thinking of having any children.

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The reality is different if we compare these results with those of older age groups. Among those aged 50 to 59, 38% have two children, 19% more than three and 17% only one. One in four (25%) remain childless, the FSO reported on Wednesday.

In many families today, both parents have a professional activity and have to reconcile family and work. For people living in households with children under 25, the most frequent difficulty is the lack of time to rest.

Mothers and grandparents in demand

In most households (63%), it is mainly mothers who stay at home when the children are ill. They are also the ones who dress or help the children (51%). Other tasks are mostly carried out by both parents, such as playing with the children (73%) or putting them to bed (68%).

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Three-quarters of grandparents with one or more grandchildren under 13 look after them on a regular or occasional basis: 42% look after one of their grandchildren at least once a week, 21% at least once a month, and 12% less than once a month or during vacations. Only a quarter of grandparents never look after their grandchildren.

Crèches and after-school care in the city

In Switzerland as a whole, almost half (44%) of all households with children under 13 use a crèche or after-school care facility. This type of care is particularly popular in the major cities of Basel, Bern, Geneva, Lausanne, Winterthur and Zurich. Seven out of ten families use it.

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This proportion is significantly lower in other urban areas (43%), and not even half as high in rural areas (33%). On the other hand, care by grandparents (47% of households) and family day care (12%) is particularly widespread in rural areas. In cities, these percentages are 26% and 6%, respectively.

Translated from French by DeepL/gw

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