Parents — not childless adults — account for nearly two-thirds of plummeting birth rates worldwide, with mothers in countries like Spain and Russia now averaging just 1.7-1.8 children each
This goes to support the idea, once again, that economic factors affect family formation for those that do want to have children just as much as anything else.
As we know, both the two-income households and the general increase in costs of living mean that having more than one child is becoming a challenge, while the culture provides a perverse feedback loop to the process, where more of the life is centred on childless adults and children are becoming and afterthought in public spaces.
It would not be surprising to me that childlessness is not the only cause of fertility decline. It’s also a matter of people who want children preferring to have fewer of them.
This also signals, as Dave points out, that reversing this trend, should that be the goal, will require multiple policy levers to be pulled. I have evaluated a few of those policy measures, and none of them appear to work particularly well.
This goes to support the idea, once again, that economic factors affect family formation for those that do want to have children just as much as anything else.
As we know, both the two-income households and the general increase in costs of living mean that having more than one child is becoming a challenge, while the culture provides a perverse feedback loop to the process, where more of the life is centred on childless adults and children are becoming and afterthought in public spaces.
Interesting discussion.
It would not be surprising to me that childlessness is not the only cause of fertility decline. It’s also a matter of people who want children preferring to have fewer of them.
This also signals, as Dave points out, that reversing this trend, should that be the goal, will require multiple policy levers to be pulled. I have evaluated a few of those policy measures, and none of them appear to work particularly well.