Women generally have only one child because the burden of raising the child still falls almost entirely on her shoulders despite all the changes in society. I predict an increase in the fertility in Italy will happen. But in order to have that increase we have to change the concept of the economy and the job market to accommodate the idea of motherhood. We have to change the collective cultural psychology and the individual psychology. Otherwise it seems very unlikely that we will have an increase in fertility.
Affluence plays a considerable role.
Today's affluence pushes people to consume more, have an expensive car, and take a vacation abroad. Subsequently, in some cases, a child or a second child is placed as an alternative to having these things. And therefore some couples decide to have a vacation to the islands and postpone having a child to the next year. But the following year something else happens and they postpone again. It's a fact that couples who have one child or two children are economically penalized when compared to a couple without children.