These seem to be the two main reasons for the decline in the U.S., according to the article.
- A public policy demographer says despite more women in their late 30s having children, "it's not making up for fertility declines among younger women. What's coming to appear is that a lot of these babies are just going to be forgone entirely. They're not going to be born."
- There's also a decline in teen pregancies, and the article quotes a population center director who attributes that to more effective contraception. "The United States has always had much higher rates of teen and unplanned pregnancies than other countries. This is a success story... that people are able to avoid having births early on, when they themselves would say, 'This is not the right time for me.'"
Henchman21•2h ago
"People really need to feel confident about the future… having kids is sort of an irreversible decision and it's a long-term one"
Don't discount this reason, it's pretty powerful.
bombcar•2h ago
Children are a sign of optimism and hope. Dying societies forgo them.
jxjnskkzxxhx•29m ago
What are you saying, that the shithole countries which have the highest birth rates have the most optimistic people? Do you not understand the desperate circumstances under which a couple can have 10 kids?
Children are a sign of optimism in a poetic sense only. It doesn't affect how many children are actually born.
JoeAltmaier•2h ago
Almost every country in the world is in birth-decline. The US is just along the trajectory a little further. Japan leads the way with catastrophically low rates, well under replacement.
absolutelastone•1h ago
South Korea has the lowest birth rate. Japan has an older population and higher death rate, so a faster shirking population currently.
moonlet•1h ago
Literally all they have to do is make sure all women have maternity leave, and paid childcare for the first three years, and set limits on how high prenatal and birth medical bills can be. You’d think a bunch of supposedly “pro” “natalists” who are “pro” “life” in or adjacent to the government would be gagging at the bit to make it as easy as possible to have babies.
pfannkuchen•1h ago
Well I imagine the people who call themselves “conservatives” probably want to switch back to the old thing, not try another new thing.
1123581321•1h ago
Are you thinking of a certain study? Meta analysis is mixed on your proposals. There have been some countries where more leave and financial assistance increases births, but causality is unknown. And those births were in some countries among older parents more financially established, not the young couples who would benefit the most. In other countries there’s been no found correlation. The infamous Spanish study found more paternity leave to decrease fertility. :)
State-provided benefits not driving fertility makes some intuitive sense. The countries with high birth rates are not the wealthy and comfortable ones.
blendo•45m ago
All else being equal, having to grow food for 1 billion people would be a lot easier than for 8 billion.
MilnerRoute•2h ago
- A public policy demographer says despite more women in their late 30s having children, "it's not making up for fertility declines among younger women. What's coming to appear is that a lot of these babies are just going to be forgone entirely. They're not going to be born."
- There's also a decline in teen pregancies, and the article quotes a population center director who attributes that to more effective contraception. "The United States has always had much higher rates of teen and unplanned pregnancies than other countries. This is a success story... that people are able to avoid having births early on, when they themselves would say, 'This is not the right time for me.'"
Henchman21•2h ago
Don't discount this reason, it's pretty powerful.
bombcar•2h ago
jxjnskkzxxhx•29m ago
Children are a sign of optimism in a poetic sense only. It doesn't affect how many children are actually born.