It's nice to read something on this topic that matches every conversation I've had about having kids since entering adulthood, for once. The general "pro-natalism" discourse is so insulting to women especially, implying that we make our biggest life decisions based on what influencers on TikTok say about having kids instead of because of real material concerns about caring for ourselves and any children we bring into the world.
Those factors (flexibility and such) can raise fertility from 1.4 to 1.7 or so (within what countries are willing to bear as cost)
But solving the problem will come down to culture...
Changing the culture of comparison and striving for more and more formal education, changing the culture of needing to be personally financially stable as a requirement to have kids (this is partly a result of low trust between individuals, I think)
This is fascinating, and i like what you are pushing for. Interestingly, I can say that almost all of my queer and leftist friends would be on board, while at the same time I don't see anything here conservatives would dislike, so it gives me hope that this could all pass if it gets focus.
I know nothing ever happens in a vacuum, but the Taiwan HSR example really does open some interesting ideas for the rest of the world. Rents in New York are as high as they've ever been, but there are plenty of food service workers that wouldn't hesitate to start families if they could pay Philadelphia rents and still get to Manhattan in less than an hour.
All this reminds me of Groves' book Durable Trades. The authour assessed jobs based on five criteria:
How much has the trade and industry changed over time?
Resiliency – How vulnerable is the trade to disruptions in supply and demand, and replacement from automation?
Family Centeredness – How much time does the trade encourage the family to spend time and work together?
Income – Does the trade provide an adequate family income?
Ease of Entry – How expensive and competitive is it to start a business in the trade?
Interestingly, things like "IT support", "Diversity Manager" and so on didn't make it to the list. It was more humble stuff like farmer, barber, nurse and so on.
It's nice to read something on this topic that matches every conversation I've had about having kids since entering adulthood, for once. The general "pro-natalism" discourse is so insulting to women especially, implying that we make our biggest life decisions based on what influencers on TikTok say about having kids instead of because of real material concerns about caring for ourselves and any children we bring into the world.
This was great and confirms my anecdotal concerns and experiences
Stability, Stability, Stability.
That and the price of admission to a decent life (student loans, cars, zip codes), more than anything, are the 2 biggest problems in America.
Interesting...
Those factors (flexibility and such) can raise fertility from 1.4 to 1.7 or so (within what countries are willing to bear as cost)
But solving the problem will come down to culture...
Changing the culture of comparison and striving for more and more formal education, changing the culture of needing to be personally financially stable as a requirement to have kids (this is partly a result of low trust between individuals, I think)
This is fascinating, and i like what you are pushing for. Interestingly, I can say that almost all of my queer and leftist friends would be on board, while at the same time I don't see anything here conservatives would dislike, so it gives me hope that this could all pass if it gets focus.
You might also like other projects we been working on
https://www.governance.fyi/p/textbook-what-actually-works-in-k
https://www.governance.fyi/p/forking-work-simplification-and-more
https://www.governance.fyi/p/american-singapores-taking-inventory
https://www.governance.fyi/p/management-cybernetics-101-for-urbanists
Thank you!
I know nothing ever happens in a vacuum, but the Taiwan HSR example really does open some interesting ideas for the rest of the world. Rents in New York are as high as they've ever been, but there are plenty of food service workers that wouldn't hesitate to start families if they could pay Philadelphia rents and still get to Manhattan in less than an hour.
All this reminds me of Groves' book Durable Trades. The authour assessed jobs based on five criteria:
How much has the trade and industry changed over time?
Resiliency – How vulnerable is the trade to disruptions in supply and demand, and replacement from automation?
Family Centeredness – How much time does the trade encourage the family to spend time and work together?
Income – Does the trade provide an adequate family income?
Ease of Entry – How expensive and competitive is it to start a business in the trade?
Interestingly, things like "IT support", "Diversity Manager" and so on didn't make it to the list. It was more humble stuff like farmer, barber, nurse and so on.