海角大神

Catarina Alves Vieira and Ricardo Vieira knew they wanted children, but they hadn鈥檛 expected twins.

Nor were they entirely prepared for them when they were born last month. The couple makes a combined monthly salary of $700 to $1,400 from their at-home jobs. Ms. Alves Vieira works as a translator; her husband does graphic design.

But Alves Vieira, who is 25, had seen other women in her family struggle with infertility problems. So despite their precarious finances, she and her husband went ahead.

The couple is entitled to government aid 鈥撀燼bout $125 per child a month 鈥撀燽ut so far they haven鈥檛 received a single payment. In the meantime they鈥檝e relied on the support of family and friends, who鈥檝e given them everything from hand-me-down clothes to a secondhand crib.

鈥淚f you鈥檙e going to wait to be a parent in Portugal, you鈥檒l end up waiting forever,鈥� Alves聽Vieira says. 聽

Portugal has long stood out in the European Union as the country with the lowest fertility rate.聽And still, during the recent eurocrisis, the number of births fell even further. Between 2010 and 2013, when Portugal was under an EU-sponsored bailout that imposed strict austerity, its birthrate dropped 18 percent.聽

Then, for the first time in five years, Portugal鈥檚 birthrate began to rise in 2015. Nearly 2,000 more babies were born last year than in 2014, leading analysts to wonder if couples have decided to no longer let the country鈥檚 economic slump stop them from starting a family.

鈥淪ome young couples are well aware that there鈥檚 no going back to the good times of 鈥榲acas gordas,鈥欌�� says Concei莽茫o Faria, a leading psychologist in fertility studies, using the Portuguese expression for fat cows. 鈥淵ounger people are shifting their priorities and turning their attention home.鈥�

The average age of a first-time mother in Portugal has been steadily climbing every year till it reached 30 in 2014. But Maria Filomena Mendes, head of the Portuguese Demographic Association, predicts that trend could soon reverse as more and more young women are considering having a child sooner.

鈥淧eople have realized that they won鈥檛 probably find the things that made them postpone having kids,鈥� she says, mentioning travel and better job opportunities as two examples. 鈥淣ow they鈥檙e thinking, 鈥榃hy postpone it any longer?鈥欌��

'The best time is now'

In another Lisbon apartment, Sara Os贸rio and Frederico Batista are expecting their first baby in a few weeks. They鈥檝e already named her Salom茅 鈥� and graciously accepted baby supplies offered to them by friends.

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 buy a thing except for diapers on sale, which we鈥檝e stockpiled,鈥澛燤s. Os贸rio says.

Both 29 years old, she and Mr. Batista earn a combined monthly wage of about $1,800.聽For nine years Os贸rio has worked as a secretary in a public sector institute. She鈥檚 never held a full-time position. Batista works as a multimedia journalist at a major newspaper in Lisbon.

Portugal鈥檚 prolonged recession has left them wary of the future, doubtful that their job prospects will ever improve.

鈥淢y mother is convinced we鈥檒l have a raise because we鈥檝e been working for so long, but that won鈥檛 happen,鈥� she says. 鈥淚n fact, I鈥檓 making 120 euros [$135] less than when I first started working.鈥� 聽

Financial constraints are just one obstacle you couples face in raising children. Maria Jo茫o Valente Rosa, a sociologist at New University of Lisbon, says they鈥檒l also have to contend with structural problems that have long pervaded Portuguese society.

鈥淚n Portugal, a child is almost exclusively a responsibility of women,鈥� she says, recommending that the government implements policies like those found in Scandinavia that promote greater gender equality. 鈥淚f we want to do well in our career, we can鈥檛 be moms.鈥�

State-sponsored daycare alone will cost Os贸rio and Batista $300 a month. Considering such costs, Dr. Valente Rosa says women are often forced to choose between holding a job and raising a family. Os贸rio is determined to do both, regardless of her 鈥� and her country鈥檚 鈥� economic woes.

鈥淲hen have we not been in a crisis?鈥� Batista asks.

Os贸rio responds with a laugh: 鈥淲e are the crisis generation.鈥�

鈥淭here鈥檚 never a good time to have a baby so the best time is now,鈥� her partner concludes.