Jessica DuBois has four children with her husband. When she fills out tonight’s Census, she will be asked about her fertility, while her partner will not.
This year’s Census asks “for each female, how many babies has the person ever given birth to?”
Jessica told The Feed she believes to get accurate data on fertility, men should also be asked how many children they’ve had
Jessica has one boy and three girls. When she was pregnant with her youngest child, she was told she was lucky for “finally getting a boy”.
“I know women feel pressure to conceive a certain number of children and of certain genders,” Jessica said.
“I think [this question] would be upsetting to someone who had a stillbirth or deceased children.”
Jessica with her four children; Summer, Layla, Halen and Jude. Source: Supplied
But Jessica feels the Census was “probably drafted to get the most straightforward statistics.”
“The one thing that hasn't changed is women bearing children,” she said.
"That said, families are changing and women aren't always included as the primary carers."
Katie Yates, an Australian resident from the UK, said this year’s Census has “missed the mark” in terms of reproductive rights.
“Women can only get pregnant every 9 months but a man can father a child for every night of those 9 months - yet medical sexism still very much exists,” Katie told The Feed.
“It feels reductive to ask people who menstruate how many children they have ‘birthed’ without asking questions about gender identity, sexual orientation and men’s involvement in reproduction,” she said.
Katie Yates, an Australian resident from the UK, thinks the Census has "missed the mark." Source: Supplied
Coming from the UK, Katie said it feels like Australia is 10 years behind when it comes to gender parity.
“There is no opportunity to highlight [both] men’s and women’s fertility issues,” she said.
“It doesn’t seem like an accurate cross-section of Australia’s population is being collected.”
The importance of male fertility data, according to experts
In 2019, the United States Census Bureau released its on male fertility based on the 2014 Survey of Income and Program Participation.
In a statement, Lindsay Monte, a demographer at the Bureau, stressed the importance of having this data.
“When looking at the full fertility histories of men, we see a depth and complexity to the experiences of fatherhood that we have not been able to see before in our data,” Ms Monte said.
An ABS spokesperson told The Feed, “women are specifically asked about how many children they have ever given birth because this information helps us to understand lifetime fertility."
“Lifetime fertility is used in the calculation of future population projections for Australia.
“The number [of births] that a woman reports… would include stillbirths and children who have subsequently died.”
The spokesperson said in reviewing the content for the 2021 Census, a small number of submissions suggested that both men and women could be asked about their fertility.
“There wasn't a clear data need for this topic to be collected and there were concerns about how accurate the data collected in the Census would be,” the spokesperson added.
Dr Karin Hammarberg, senior research fellow at Monash University’s Global and Women's Health centre, believes information about male fertility should be included in the Census.
“It’s a shared responsibility. I think men need to be involved in every stage, and fatherhood is just as important as motherhood,” Dr Hammarberg said.
"[The Census] has to do with future planning, future funding, future services. What are we going to need for the future."
One in six couples is struggling to conceive, Dr Hammarberg said. Studies show “a male factor” contributes to infertility in
“They always talk about women delaying childbearing… but a lot of the decisions about the timing of childbearing is actually related to men not being ready,” Dr Hammarberg said.
“There is now more evidence that a man’s age, especially if he's over 40, really does reduce a woman's chance, even if she's younger, of getting pregnant,” she said.
“There’s also data that shows if a father is over 45, the risk is higher for them to have children with schizophrenia and autism."
The Census helps to provide a snapshot of the nation and informs government, community and business. Source: SBS News
Dr Hammarberg said men often feel excluded from reproductive health issues. She said this is despite most young men wanting to be fathers just as much as women do.
“Men really feel that they're not part of the conversation… and not really integrated into the whole childbearing sphere.
“The only way you can actually have satisfying reproductive outcomes is if we involve both men and women from early on.”
