The Ministry of Finance has published statistics indicating that the employment rate for 25–34-year-old men has fallen from more than 87 per cent to less than 80 per cent over the past decade – a trend that has coincided with a notable decline in the number of births from 61,000 in 2009 to roughly 50,000 in 2017.

The social exclusion of young men is partly to blame for the fact that fewer and fewer children are born in Finland, writes Talouselämä.

The statistics also indicate that 25–34-year-old men find it increasingly difficult to move up from low-income status: while nine per cent of men in the age group fell into the low-income category in 2007, the share of low-income earners had risen to over 18 per cent in 2015.

Another set of statistics also shows that over 15 per cent of 25–39-year-old men have a bad credit record.

The Ministry of Finance interprets the statistics as an indication that young men are becoming socially excluded at a rapid pace, which in turn has contributed to the low number of births recorded and to the rising share of men who are childless.

The Population Research Institute has revealed that over a third (35%) of 40–45-year-old men with only basic education qualifications are childless. The corresponding share for men from the same age group with higher education qualifications is considerably lower, 22 per cent.

Childlessness, however, does not correlate with education attainment for 40–45-year-old women in Finland, according to the Population Research Institute.

“Men are being excluded from family formation. Almost 87 per cent of 20–29-year-old men are currently childless. That’s a very high number,” Anna Rotkirch, the director of the Population Research Institute, told Talouselämä on Friday.

Aleksi Teivainen – HT

Photo: Emmi Korhonen – Lehtikuva

Source: Uusi Suomi