Pope Francis Asks Businesses to Support Working Women: They’re ‘afraid to get pregnant’

“There is an urgent need for concrete action to support families and the birth rate,” Pope Francis said. “This is what we need to work on, to get out of the demographic winter in which Italy and other countries are living, as soon as possible. It is a bad demographic winter, which goes against us and prevents us from the possibility of growth.”

He added: “Today having children is a matter, I would say, of patriotism, also to take the country forward.”

Pope Francis has expressed concern about declining birth rates in the past. In May, he decried the low birth rate in Western countries, describing it as an urgent social emergency and a “new poverty.” And, in January, he called it a civilizational loss when dogs and cats replace children in society. In 2021, the pontiff asked society which it values more: children or money.

He has also voiced support for working women. In 2021, Pope Francis called for more support for working mothers during and after the coronavirus pandemic, saying that women can significantly contribute to the “reconstruction of the economy and of the society to come.” At the time, the pope called women’s presence “increasingly precious at the center of the processes of social, political, occupational, and institutional renewal.”

Katie Yoder is a correspondent in CNA's Washington, D.C. bureau. She covers pro-life issues, the U.S. Catholic bishops, public policy, and Congress. She previously worked for Townhall.com, National Review, and the Media Research Center.