Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

US Births Dip to 30-yr Low; Fertility Rate Sinks Further Below Replacement Level

npr.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

101–110 of 434 posts

Re: US Births Dip to 30-yr Low; Fertility Rate Sinks Further Below Replacement Level

#101

Post by urda »

wetpaws wrote: post #90
jacquesm wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, you could of course move but in the end it is mostly about priorities.

Going from expensive area with good job market to slightly less expensive area with little to no job market. Rrright.

The Bay is not the be-all and end-all for jobs. Full stop. In fact, it's likely going to be on the downturn if they can't get the housing situation and the growing income gap under control.

If a couple wants kids, and they can't pull it off in the Bay Area and it's a high priority item, you can bet they are on the way out.

Re: US Births Dip to 30-yr Low; Fertility Rate Sinks Further Below Replacement Level

#102

Post by maxk42 »

Karishma1234 wrote: post #36

Not true at all. Turns out that the poor people who actually cant afford to have kids are having more kids. Hispanic and Black growth is much higher than whites and asians. Asians with the highest income level have lowest birth rate. Given that it is mostly whites who have been leading in STEM there is a high chance that US will lose its competitive advantage in these fields.

I wonder if the poor are having more children because they feel like they have less to lose?

I desperately want to have kids and my girlfriend is on board, but she makes next to nothing and I make quite a lot of money. I tried an online calculator and if things go awry between us, I'll be paying her roughly a quarter of my post-tax income for the next two decades here in California.

That's just too big a gamble for me. So even though I desperately want children and I can afford them and everything would probably work out fine -- here I am, aging and childless while my girlfriend nears infertility because I can't justify the math to myself.

Re: US Births Dip to 30-yr Low; Fertility Rate Sinks Further Below Replacement Level

#103

Post by traek »

achompas wrote: post #82
toomuchtodo wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Illegal immigrants usually do not (under the table, off the books unskilled labor), and are in the US in large numbers (millions). Not a sleight, just facts.

I don't know that I would claim either of these things off-the-cuff in response to a post citing the ACS.

It's easily verifiable, see [1] under "Educational Attainment of Adults".

13% of unauthorized immigrants have completed college, as compared to 31% of US-born and 30% of authorized immigrants.

[1] https://www.migrationpolicy.org/data/unauthorized-immigrant-...

Re: US Births Dip to 30-yr Low; Fertility Rate Sinks Further Below Replacement Level

#104

Post by newfriend »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #47
Karishma1234 wrote: post #36

Not true at all. Turns out that the poor people who actually cant afford to have kids are having more kids. Hispanic and Black growth is much higher than whites and asians. Asians with the highest income level have lowest birth rate. Given that it is mostly whites who have been leading in STEM there is a high chance that US will lose its competitive advantage in these fields.

> Not true at all. Turns out that the poor people who actually cant afford to have kids are having more kids. Hispanic and Black growth is much higher than whites and asians. You're technically correct, but minorities are only slightly higher (birth rate wise) than whites. "It’s official: Minority babies are the majority among the nation’s infants, but only just" http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/06/23/its-of…

That article doesn't show birth rate, it shows total number of births. Considering the total population difference, that suggests minority birth rate is much higher as the parent said.

Re: US Births Dip to 30-yr Low; Fertility Rate Sinks Further Below Replacement Level

#105

Post by jacquesm »

wetpaws wrote: post #90
jacquesm wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, you could of course move but in the end it is mostly about priorities.

Going from expensive area with good job market to slightly less expensive area with little to no job market. Rrright.

You could move to a much less expensive area with a reasonable job market. It's not all black-and-white, people stare themselves blind on what their take home pay is but quality of life is at least as important. I would not move to the valley for any kind of money given that it would stop me from having the life that I would like to live.

It's not as if SV is the only place in the world with a job market. Though if you're early 20's and have nothing to lose in the world then it might be a good spot to start simply because what you make there in a couple of years can buy you a home cash somewhere else if you play it smart and keep your costs way down.

Re: US Births Dip to 30-yr Low; Fertility Rate Sinks Further Below Replacement Level

#106

Post by simmanian »

loggedinmyphone wrote: post #64
nostromo wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't see the value in large numbers of unskilled workers entering the US every year. With a potentially large wave of automation coming, the US shouldn't straddled itself with lots of unemployable drivers, farm workers, etc. I hope we can move to a much more sensible immigration system, similar to Canada's, for example.

Europe did the same in importing large numbers of Muslim laborers after WW2. The hope was that they'd either make their money and go back home, or culturally integrate. Many observers will say that neither happened and there's now a difficult social problem in many countries like France.

>Many observers will say that neither happened

And do you agree with the observers? If so, do you have sources to back up the claim? I ask you not to accuse you of anything but because I watched a Kurzgesagt video a while back saying most of the immigrants have integrated well over the next few generations.

Re: US Births Dip to 30-yr Low; Fertility Rate Sinks Further Below Replacement Level

#107

Post by panic »

Karishma1234 wrote: post #36

Not true at all. Turns out that the poor people who actually cant afford to have kids are having more kids. Hispanic and Black growth is much higher than whites and asians. Asians with the highest income level have lowest birth rate. Given that it is mostly whites who have been leading in STEM there is a high chance that US will lose its competitive advantage in these fields.

> Given that it is mostly whites who have been leading in STEM there is a high chance that US will lose its competitive advantage in these fields.

How would the color of someone's skin affect their skills in these fields?

Re: US Births Dip to 30-yr Low; Fertility Rate Sinks Further Below Replacement Level

#108

Post by pasbesoin »

My personal, anecdotal observation. This is the continuing legacy of the baby boomers. A counter-point, opposite of their parents, the so-named greatest generation.

Come to the height of their careers in the 70's through the 90's. The decades of self. With Michael Douglas's character's "Greed is good!" as a centerpoint.

They're where the wealth has gone. Leaving following generations without the security to settle down and raise families.

Everyone wanted something for nothing. Well, you turned something into nothing. Sold your own kids and grandkids out.

Speaking generally.

Re: US Births Dip to 30-yr Low; Fertility Rate Sinks Further Below Replacement Level

#109

Post by dv_dt »

cheeseomlit wrote: post #98
dv_dt wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

America integrated large immigrant waves in it's past, and I doubt anyone would say the Italians, or Irish, or other minorities were not integrated today. Time bridges cultures, and we're the better for it.

Italians, Irish, and most of the other immigrants from that time were Europeans who had a lot in common with Americans culturally.

I don't think you're thinking of the historical details to say that in such a blase manner. The path to integration went through periods much more violent and contentious than anything we see today.

Re: US Births Dip to 30-yr Low; Fertility Rate Sinks Further Below Replacement Level

#110

Post by wetpaws »

vibrant wrote: post #58

This is driven by a very simple thing - pension funds and insurance. Back in the day (and in poor countries with no pension funds) people knew that they had to have children because otherwise nobody would support them when they were old and they'd die. Right now people are confident that they will get a pension when they are old, so there is no reason for them to have kids. They consider children as an inconvenience,…

People are driven by daycare costing between $1000-$2500 a month to start with.
Post reply on HN