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

Post by cm2012 » Thu, May 17, 2018, 8:50 PM UTC

nostromo wrote: post #35

mhneu wrote: post #8

For decades, the US birth rate has been held up by immigration. American values have been to regard the country as a nation of immigrants, who not only act as a source of youthful workers, but also have more kids than Americans who have been here longer. So the US has avoided workforce aging, as has happened in parts of Europe and especially Japan, through immigration. With the recent reduction in immigration, accele…

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.

Post by xevb3k » Thu, May 17, 2018, 8:50 PM UTC

drspacemonkey wrote: post #202

tathougies wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> fathers often still don’t involve themselves in childcare. Are people really living in marriages where the husband does nothing? This is a genuine question. My family is Indian, and I grew up in America, but from what I remember, my mom and dad spent most of their time taking care of my brother and I, whether that be by cooking, paying bills, cleaning the house, taking care of the car, driving us around, etc. Our g…

Yes. A friend of mine is very much an uninvolved father. His wife handles all the child-rearing and housekeeping, while he plays videogames, often while drinking. I've mentioned to him that he should probably be more involved, but it's not my place or responsibility to tell him he's failing as a husband and father. In his defence, he's still a better father than his own father ever was, but that's not exactly a high…

Post by magduf » Thu, May 17, 2018, 8:52 PM UTC

drak0n1c wrote: post #122

cheeseomlit wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is it that birth rates have gone down though? Many factors, mostly economic, which should be addressed instead of importing millions of people who will soon be replaced by automation anyways.

People used to have many more kids regardless of whether they were facing good or bad times. I'd say the change is less economic and more due to culture - both men and women want less kids. There is economics in the cultural change - as people get wealthier and government welfare becomes more reliable the forces behind maintaining and growing the family decreases. Wealthy people in the past still had many more kids t…

Post by d1zzy » Thu, May 17, 2018, 8:53 PM UTC

baq wrote: post #149

maxk42 wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 m…

You only have one life. Not having children means not living it fully (though it's mighty convenient). All the money in the world won't change that and it won't matter when you're gone anyway.

Post by gowld » Thu, May 17, 2018, 8:54 PM UTC

freyir wrote: post #23

zerostar07 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then why is Germany, Sweden, Spain, Japan, Finland etc significantly below the US?

Historically, children generated profit. These days, in developed countries, children are expensive. They cost money and time (e.g., years that you would otherwise spend going to school, building a career).