The report emphasizes that Italian families and parents are navigating profound demographic shifts that reshape everyday life. Fertility continues to fall, with births reaching historic lows, largely due to fewer women of childbearing age and delayed parenthood. Many couples face a gap between desired and realized fertility, often citing economic insecurity, limited housing opportunities, and difficulties in balancing work and family life. Parents increasingly rely on two incomes as a prerequisite for childbearing, while medically assisted reproduction has become more relevant as the average age at first birth rises. At the same time, youth transitions to adulthood—such as leaving the parental home or starting families—are significantly delayed, with nearly two-thirds of young adults still living with their parents. These trends create challenges for families’ ability to plan and sustain parenthood while also reinforcing intergenerational dependencies.
Family structures are diversifying, with single-person households, remarriages, cohabitation, and same-sex unions gaining visibility, though laws and policies often lag behind these realities. Immigrant families are crucial in sustaining Italy’s demographic balance, as foreign mothers account for more than one in five births, yet they still face social and economic inequalities. Parents and caregivers, especially women, remain under pressure from weak work–family reconciliation policies, rising housing costs, and persistent regional disparities in education and youth opportunities. At the same time, longevity improvements bring both opportunities and caregiving burdens, as more elderly relatives require support within family networks. Overall, the report underscores the urgency of adapting policies to strengthen family well-being, promote equitable parenting opportunities, and ensure that demographic change becomes a catalyst for resilience rather than a source of decline
[Daniele Vignoli, Anna Paterno and Manuela Stranges (ed), Population Report of the Italian Association for Population Studies, Italy, 2025.]
