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The United States has been below replacement level (we're not creating enough new people to replace our current population) for a long time. Some of the good that's come from this is that team pregnancy is headed to lowest rate in decades.
For a long time my hypothesis was that people weren't having kids because many Americans don't have health care and many jobs have poor parental leave but even in European countries with nationalized health care they're seeing declining birth rates as well.
Seems to me that it's a combination of:
1. Better availability of contraception
2. Women investing in their careers and waiting longer to have kids (or not having kids at all)
3. Most Americans no longer live in agrarian communities where they might need extra help (in the form of children). Having lots of kids went from an asset to a liability from a financial standpoint.
4. A lot of millennials barely have enough money to take care of themselves, much less of family.
5. Some millennials have the feeling of existential dread. "Why would I bring a child into this crazy, crumbling world?!" thought process.
Do you guys view this as a problem? If so, how do we fix it?
For a long time my hypothesis was that people weren't having kids because many Americans don't have health care and many jobs have poor parental leave but even in European countries with nationalized health care they're seeing declining birth rates as well.
Seems to me that it's a combination of:
1. Better availability of contraception
2. Women investing in their careers and waiting longer to have kids (or not having kids at all)
3. Most Americans no longer live in agrarian communities where they might need extra help (in the form of children). Having lots of kids went from an asset to a liability from a financial standpoint.
4. A lot of millennials barely have enough money to take care of themselves, much less of family.
5. Some millennials have the feeling of existential dread. "Why would I bring a child into this crazy, crumbling world?!" thought process.
Do you guys view this as a problem? If so, how do we fix it?
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