Social policies and fertility in Italy: A Literature review between pronatalist approaches and structural interventions

Italy’s persistent sub-replacement fertility rates, set against a backdrop of increasing longevity, pose profound challenges to demographic stability, labour market dynamics, and the sustainability of its welfare state. Public and political debate often frame this so-called «demographic crisis» in reductive terms, attributing declining fertility either to an erosion of traditional family values or to insufficient financial incentives aimed at encouraging childbearing. This article argues that such perspectives are partial and insufficient, failing to capture the deeper structural and institutional determinants underlying Italy’s unmet reproductive potential, which is evidenced by a significant discrepancy between desired and actual fertility, alongside increasing reliance on assisted reproductive technologies. Drawing on a critical review of existing literature, this contribution explores the complex relationship between social policies and fertility in Italy, contrasting pronatalist approaches – which interpret reproductive behavior primarily as individual choices shaped by cultural norms – with structural approaches – which foreground the institutional, economic, and social contexts influencing individual life-courses. Empirical evidence from Italy suggests that isolated pronatalist measures lack efficacy in the absence of comprehensive policies addressing income security, employment stability, housing affordability, gender equality, and work-family reconciliation. While giving some indication for policy development, we argue that promoting fertility should not be framed as a demographic imperative but as a matter of social justice – providing individuals, particularly younger generations, with the supportive structural conditions necessary to realize their life plans, including fertility.