Climate change is reshaping one of the most personal decisions a person can make: whether or not to have children. A startling 40% of Australian women without kids are hesitant to start a family because of the climate crisis, according to a recent survey. But here's where it gets even more eye-opening: this hesitation isn't just a fleeting concern—it's part of a larger trend that could have profound implications for Australia's future.
The survey, commissioned by Clive Hamilton, a professor of public ethics at Charles Sturt University, and conducted by Roy Morgan Research, delved into Australians' attitudes toward global heating. It found that half of Australians are deeply worried about climate change, with two in five believing the climate will be “much hotter” by 2050. Yet, in a striking contrast, more than a third of Coalition voters believe the climate won’t change at all. This divide isn’t just political—it’s generational, educational, and, as the data suggests, gendered.
Among the 2,000 nationally representative respondents, Labor, Greens, and independent voters were three times more likely to express high levels of concern about climate change compared to conservative voters. And while you might think age would be a big factor, the survey revealed that education level was a stronger predictor of climate concern than age. For instance, three in five Labor-voting parents expressed high concern about their children’s future in a changing climate, compared to just one in five Coalition-voting parents.
But this is the part most people miss: women are disproportionately affected by climate anxiety. Hamilton notes that women are more likely to expect hotter temperatures, feel more anxious, and perceive greater insecurity due to climate change. He attributes this to a “gendered calculus of risk,” suggesting that women’s values of care make them more receptive to scientific warnings and the emotional impact of extreme weather events. Among non-parents, 40.4% of women reported being hesitant to have children because of the climate, compared to only 17% of men.
This raises a controversial question: Is climate change becoming a gendered issue, with women bearing the emotional and reproductive burden? Hamilton argues that this hesitancy could lead to a decline in Australia’s birth rate, highlighting a disconnect between young people’s conversations about parenthood and government policies on demographic planning. “This survey shows that this is an issue that can’t be ignored,” he said.
These findings echo a 2019 Australian Conservation Foundation survey, which found that one in three Australian women under 30 were reconsidering having children due to fears of an unsafe future from climate change. Yet, despite these concerns, the Roy Morgan survey found that living through extreme weather events like floods and fires had only a small effect on people’s climate anxiety. Why? People tend to explain away these events as natural occurrences or are reluctant to blame climate change for their personal misfortunes, according to Hamilton.
Prof Iain Walker, a social psychologist at the University of Melbourne, adds that this finding aligns with broader research. “Experiencing extreme weather events makes little difference to people’s beliefs, and any impact is usually short-lived,” he explained. “It comes down to interpretation: those who already accept climate change see these events as further evidence, while skeptics dismiss them as isolated incidents.”
Interestingly, while the survey focused on regional areas affected by extreme weather, concern about the climate crisis was slightly higher in cities than in rural areas. This suggests that awareness and anxiety may be driven more by information and education than by direct experience.
So, here’s the big question: As climate change continues to reshape our world, will it also redefine parenthood? And if so, what does that mean for society as a whole? Let us know your thoughts in the comments—this is a conversation we all need to be having.
