Editorial | Navigating complexities of parenting

Christopher Tufton is right to place parenting among five critical pillars to be addressed as Jamaica seeks to reverse its stagnant - and declining - population growth.

For the health minister suggested in his recent intervention in Parliament’s sectoral debate, success in any campaign for people to have more children without the supporting infrastructure, including the capacity to parent, is a likely recipe for social dysfunction.

“The Government is not asking Jamaicans to have children or statistical reasons,” Tufton told legislators.  “It is committed to building conditions where family formation is genuinely affordable, structurally supported, and celebrated.”

In the 11 years between the previous census and the one completed in 2022, Jamaica’s population grew by only 2.8 per cent.  But,- in recent years, it has actually fallen - by 0.02 per cent in 2024, for example.

One of the reasons for this is the high propensity of Jamaica to emigrate.  But more significant is the fact that women of child-bearing age are having fewer children. For instance, in the 1970s, the fertility rate hovered 4.5. Today, it is down to 1.3 children per woman, well below the 2.1 just to keep the population stable.   

ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS

This demographic trend holds significant medium to long-term economic implications that demand urgent attention. A paradox, or perhaps consequence, of the situation is that it is happening at a time when the anecdotal evidence suggests a declining capacity to parent, exacerbated by economic and other stresses.  The upshot: social dysfunction, evidenced by high crime rates and disrespect for public order. Increasingly, children and adolescents are among the perpetrators.

But, as educator and therapist Ruthlyn James noted in a December 2025 article in this newspaper, many parents are not disengaged because they do not care. Rather, they are overwhelmed by economic pressures, emotional fatigue and changing social conditions. 

She pointed to weakening community support systems, the growing reliance on screens and the need for a more coordinated national response to parenting support. 

Her inferences deserve serious consideration. Indeed, they largely intersect with the “five pillars” (financial support; paid leave from work for both parents; affordable childcare; enhanced reproductive health services; parenting education) on which Dr Tufton said he intends to have conversations over the next two years towards developing a fertility policy.  

URGENT INTERVENTIONS

Yet, the current crisis demands urgent interventions, especially in a context where single-parent homes are on the rise. In 2017, according to the Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions, 29 per cent of homes had single parents. In 2023, it went up to 35 per cent.

Yet, modern parenting increasingly requires knowledge of child development, mental health, conflict resolution, digital literacy, positive discipline and emotional support. Few people enter parenthood fully prepared for these demands.

Lack of the parental safety net leaves children vulnerable. The 2023 Jamaica Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys showed that over three quarters of young Jamaicans, between ages 13 and 24, had experienced violence at some point in their lives.  Males (77.6 per cent) were slightly more likely than females (77.2 per cent) to have seen or themselves experienced violence.

As parents struggle to cope, this is where organisations like the National Parenting Support Commission (NPSC) are increasingly important in offering parenting education, mentoring, helplines and community-based support initiatives. The NPSC’s recent report that 12,000- 14,000 parents are participating in parenting training programmes, suggests that people are actively seeking help.  

But this network of support must broaden to include schools, which must actively engage with parents and caregivers, as well as community-based health services that help to diagnose disorders and mental health issues in children which are often frustratingly beyond the competence of parents. 

Rebuilding families, which Tufton said is part of the government’s agenda, is also critical. Importantly, too, as Ms James put it in her December article, there is need for a Jamaica where parents can be present.