Re:The birthrate in the U.S. is the lowest it’s been in 30 y...
by kartan on Thursday May 31, 2018 @10:00PM
(#17202027)
> There is a theory that the root cause of these problems is the continued dismantling of traditional gender roles.
Except that Japan has kept traditional gender roles, where the woman leaves her job when marries, and they have one of the lower fertility rates in the world.
At the same time, Sweden with very strong gender equality has a higher fertility rate than other European countries. Even that it is still low compared with historical hights.
Re:The birthrate in the U.S. is the lowest it’s been in 30 y...
by Tohhou on Thursday May 31, 2018 @10:22PM
(#17202124)
Western countries have lower rates than Japan when you exclude for native birth rates. Western countries get a big boost in birth rate when you account for non-natives having population booms.
Re:The birthrate in the U.S. is the lowest it’s been in 30 y...
by beagle3 on Friday June 01, 2018 @12:22PM
(#17206918)
With the exception of Israel & Ireland, which are the only two western countries to have a positive native birth rate (avg >2.2 births/woman - supposedly 2.2 is the magic number that keeps a population size stable).
Re:The birthrate in the U.S. is the lowest it’s been in 30 y...
by sudouser on Thursday May 31, 2018 @11:01PM
(#17202263)
this, an often overlooked factor are immigrants’ contributions to SS in the united states
Re:The birthrate in the U.S. is the lowest it’s been in 30 y...
by u90g4u8904 on Friday June 01, 2018 @10:31AM
(#17205611)
Sounds to me like the problem isn't dismantling of gender roles and more that our society and workplace was designed for single income families. This is why many activists are fighting for paid family leave (including paternal leave), more flexibile work schedules, and affordable child care.
If women had not entered the workforce in massive numbers things could have continued based on old trajectories. The male breadwinner/housewife lifestyle was a formula that made it ideal for raising children cheaply, even if it didn’t seem like the most equitable.
If I had a good job and settled with a wife straight out of college I’m sure I’d be a father to two children by now. My income could easily support a non-working spouse and some kids.
But many of the women around me were not the type to settle so early, so I chased the money and ever more ambitious women. And with no family to support, I had dangerous amounts of money to spend on ever increasing prices and property.
And if I should marry a woman with equal earning power as me, we will be able to spend even more on whatever inflated prices are set before us. If you’ve ever been in a gay household with two men earning typical male salaries and no children, one thing you notice is that they always have tons of purchasing power. What do you think that does to the economy when it scales out?