Rising Singlehood Among Moroccan Women Impacts Birth Rates

More than 60% of Moroccan women aged 20 to 24 are single, and more than 28% of Moroccan women aged 30 to 34 are also single, according to the annual report "The Moroccan Woman in 2023," presented on the occasion of National Women’s Day, noting that the number of single women in Morocco exceeds 8 million, or 60% of women whose minimum age for marriage is set at 18 years by the legislator. According to the same report, the number of single women in Morocco has risen by about 4.6%, while the proportion of single men has increased by 2.6%. This societal problem is not without consequence on the birth rate. The current number of children per woman has fallen to 2.38. Compared to 1960 when a record level of 7 children per woman was reached, the decline is considerable.

The high rate of single women is explained by factors such as the high cost of living and unemployment, which push many men not to go towards marriage. Significant groups of young unemployed are unable to cope with the demands of daily life. Faced with this social problem, the government has called on family experts like Mohamed Momen, a sociologist at the Royal Institute of Vocational Training of Experts, according to the website Atalayar. One of the proposed solutions is the allocation of family budgets to meet the family needs of young couples.

In Rabat, the International Marriage Agency, which works in collaboration with nearly 100 similar organizations in Western countries, to help find partners for Moroccan women wishing to marry foreigners, is contributing to the effort. Women of all ages and backgrounds have organized meetings in its premises to encourage young people to get married.