News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on The global fertility rate is falling. Parent comment

Re:The global fertility rate is falling by killjoywashere on Wednesday July 15, 2020 @03:48AM (#23842403)
"it's in the very poorest places that you're going to have a tripling in population ... it's amazingly as children survive, parents feel like they'll have enough kids to support them in their old age. And so they choose to have less children."

https://www.gatesnotes.com/about-bill-gates/a-conversation-w...

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:The global fertility rate is falling by bananaface on Wednesday July 15, 2020 @03:55AM (#23842438)
I actually don't agree with that diagnosis. I think the very poorest people genuinely can't access contraception. Once you get above a fairly low level and the pill becomes affordable, something else becomes the bigger factor.

I just don't buy that very poor people ration out sex under a precise calculation of how many kids they want. Doesn't fit my observations of how humans behave. Most people fuck because they're horny, or because their husband is horny and they need his support to survive, or frankly because they're so poor they have to sell themselves. HIV is a bigger risk than not having children in old age, most Africans know that, but that doesn't stop it either.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:The global fertility rate is falling by lazyjones on Wednesday July 15, 2020 @05:47AM (#23843075)
> Once you get above a fairly low level and the pill becomes affordable, something else becomes the bigger factor.

The life choices of women are an important factor. Having both a career and children is still difficult today and more women choose careers.

[ Parent | on HN ]