The world's falling fertility rate is a story of success for women

Seventy years ago women, on average, gave birth to 5.05 children. Today, this number has dropped to 2.4 children. In 2100 the average number of children a woman will have in her lifetime will fall to 1.66. This is according to projections in a study published in the Lancet last month, which suggests that fertility rates in 183 of the world's 195 countries will not be high enough to maintain current populations by the year 2100.

The researchers at the University of Washington who undertook the study suggest that the world's population will peak at 9.7-billion people in 2064 and will drop to 8.8-billion people by the end of the century. The populations in countries like Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Portugal, Spain and Italy are projected to halve.

These figures are significant for economic, environmental, social and even geopolitical reasons, but as someone who's not entirely sure she wants any children at all, I'm still stuck on the 5.05. As a child I marvelled at stories my grandfather told of his 13-odd siblings and even then I pitied my great-grandmother.

What makes the findings of this study significant is that they aren't driven by low sperm counts or the degeneration of women's childbearing abilities. Instead, the trend is driven by improvements in the education of girls and women and an increase in the number of women entering the world of work and accessing contraception. It reflects women's ability to choose and exercise their agency. In short, the world's falling fertility rate is a story of success.

But the research also highlights the importance of protecting and strengthening women's sexual and reproductive rights and the study's authors stress that the response to the global population decline should not compromise women's hard-won freedoms and rights.

As Dr Christopher Murray, the director of the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation who led the research, says that " very real danger exists that, in the face of declining population, some countries might consider policies that restrict access to reproductive health services, with potentially devastating consequences. It's imperative that women's freedom and rights are at the top of every government's
development agenda."

I almost get chills reading these words. They trigger an unwelcome conjuring of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale.

But I find comfort in the knowledge that women are discovering the freedom to make changes when it comes to their reproductive choices. If these trends continue women who come after me might not be burdened by the invasive persistence of people who still think all women want children, will have them and can have them.

The minute I got engaged I was overwhelmed with questions about when my imminent children would arrive. When I replied that I wasn't sure I wanted any right then, my answer inevitably resulted in the worn-out warning of having children past the age of 30.

Once I was married these questions increased tenfold but no-one was interested in my career prospects or plans to travel or personal successes. I began to feel that we live in a society that celebrates women's achievements only in terms of how they relate to children and husbands.

An increasing body of research is showing that millennials are choosing to have children at a later age or not have them. And the reasons are diverse. Many people feel that they cannot afford to have children and provide them with the quality of life they deserve. Others prefer to focus on their careers or relationships or aren't eager to sacrifice their freedom. Others choose to remain childless for environmental reasons. For me, it's a combination of a number of factors.

My problem lies not with children or people who choose to have them. And I adore the little ones in my friendship circles and family. But just because I don't want any of my own doesn't mean my life will be less fulfilled. And it certainly doesn't make me selfish.

In fact, if the suggestions of the researchers in the Lancet study are anything to go by, it means I'm enjoying a good quality of life. And for that I am truly grateful.