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osh kosh bosh
is right. The primary problem in declining birthing rates is economical not social. People simply can't afford kids. And the link between richer people having less children is a correlation not a causation. Education is the cause, not wealth itself. Rich people can afford more children but have less because their sexual education is more complete and they have better access to abortion and birth control which they use because they understand. If poor people were better educated they wouldn't have 8 kids by accident. This is why birth rates are mostly plummeting in wealthier countries, a well educated populace with access to birth control and safe abortions.
The secondary problem which is social is uncertainty. If you're uncertain about your personal future, the future of the country and the future of the world why would you want to have children? This uncertainty is caused by the primary problem and the tertiary problem which is where skyhigh anxiety and depression rates finally come in, but economics is the biggest reason that affects the others. Not social media making it so that people dont know how to interact in person anymore, that's a boomer take.
Where women specifically come in is in their choice to have children later in life, now that they can choose. They're also more selective in partners than at any other time in history because, again, they now have the option to wait and choose for the "perfect" guy because they're no longer tied to men economically. They also have access to a larger pool of men than ever before because of social media and dating apps. They can finally earn their own money and have fulfilling careers instead of being live-in baby incubators and maids. This is also why divorce rates are up. Women are overwhelmingly the initiators of divorce because they no longer literally need a man for survival. None of this helps the birth rate but if the cost of women having more agency is less children, that's not the worst cost to pay.
Instead of blaming women we need to incentivize having children. Paid extended parental leave. Child tax credits. Baby bonds. Universal Pre-K. Daycare cost write-offs. Affordable housing. Higher wages. Universal healthcare. College debt erasure along with affordable higher education. All things that ease the burden of having and raising children. Some countries have some of these, some countries don't, all countries should.
The secondary problem which is social is uncertainty. If you're uncertain about your personal future, the future of the country and the future of the world why would you want to have children? This uncertainty is caused by the primary problem and the tertiary problem which is where skyhigh anxiety and depression rates finally come in, but economics is the biggest reason that affects the others. Not social media making it so that people dont know how to interact in person anymore, that's a boomer take.
Where women specifically come in is in their choice to have children later in life, now that they can choose. They're also more selective in partners than at any other time in history because, again, they now have the option to wait and choose for the "perfect" guy because they're no longer tied to men economically. They also have access to a larger pool of men than ever before because of social media and dating apps. They can finally earn their own money and have fulfilling careers instead of being live-in baby incubators and maids. This is also why divorce rates are up. Women are overwhelmingly the initiators of divorce because they no longer literally need a man for survival. None of this helps the birth rate but if the cost of women having more agency is less children, that's not the worst cost to pay.
Instead of blaming women we need to incentivize having children. Paid extended parental leave. Child tax credits. Baby bonds. Universal Pre-K. Daycare cost write-offs. Affordable housing. Higher wages. Universal healthcare. College debt erasure along with affordable higher education. All things that ease the burden of having and raising children. Some countries have some of these, some countries don't, all countries should.