Birth rate plummets
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Anonymous
It seems like there’s a rise in people who just don’t want kids, but the survey results did note that a lot of those people are in their 20s and 30s and may end up having kids later. It goes along with marriage rates being lower as single people tend to have fewer kids overall. The article did note that the share of single kid families was relatively steady since the 80s which I thought was interesting. I figured it would have increased. So it seems like the record low birth rate is due to people just not having kids + people of child-bearing age delaying having kids. |
Anonymous
| The only reason this is a problem is that younger people are funding social security and Medicare. |
Anonymous
If people choose not to have kids, they shouldn’t receive social security when they’re older. Their contributions are paying for their barents’ social security. If they don’t want to have kids to pay for their social security when they get old, they shouldn’t receive it. They’ve broken the social contract between generations. If they haven’t spent the money on raising kids, they should have plenty of money to fund their retirement. |
Anonymous
Are you going to require a doctor's note to get out of this plan of yours? What about someone who could technically have a child physically, but for whom it is not recommended (severe mental health issues, or on a blood thinner for a congenital cardiac disorder, or who would pass on genes for Huntington's Disease, etc.)? DO you want them to file DNA? What if they are willing to adopt, but the adoption fell through? Does that count? Ludicrous even as a mental exercise. Sorry you resent having your kids. |
Anonymous
What social contract? That phrase is such BS. I didn't sign anything. It was forced upon me. It's very unAmerican. I want to have my own choices and not be hamstrung by your screwups and you seem to want to put everyone on the line for more and more of them. |
Anonymous
This is the reason birth rates are plummeting. Women aren’t having children because they don’t want them. |
Anonymous
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There are so many books out about this. I just watched a piece that argues that our society now views becoming a parent a choice. This places a lot of burden on choosing to have kids. Our society no longer helps parents. An example was a quote by Senator Ron Johnson saying that if one chooses to have kids they should be able to afford them. So things like universal preK, affordable quality daycare for women who chose to work, education, or affordable housing and food for the family become their problem, not a societal one.
Until there are pro-family policies put in by government and private companies, our birth rate will continue to plummet. |
Anonymous
The rates of women who say they want children are roughly the same. There has been no statistically significant change in women wanting children. Our society’s dating culture is f**ed up. Our society’s culture is just sad, quite frankly. |
Anonymous
Let’s actually put the blame on breaking the societal contract where it firmly belongs! Social security was never set up to be the sole support of old people. It was set up when working people got pensions. Very few companies in American offer pensions anymore. 401Ks were set up initially as a means for wealthy business men to hide additional money in “tax shelters.” 401Ks were never created to be the sole financial vehicle for retirement savings. The American business culture broke the societal contract of pensions. The American worker must job hop for substantial pay increases. Companies like expendable labor because it cheap and reaps maximum benefits for their shareholders. I don’t have a problem with a lean and dynamic workforce but it is unfair to blame social security or 401Ks for failing to perform in a way that they were never intended to perform. The American business culture has changed dramatically while at the same time American policy and politicians have not provided new policies or laws to address the needs of Americans. |
Anonymous
Anonymous
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What societal contracts? What are all these contracts I never sign.
I go through the interviews, I'm hired and know the benefits. That's what I expect, no more, no less. No one is "tricking me". I'm not a victim. But I will be a victim of social security which takes a bunch of FICA confiscations and is mathematically unsustainable (and always would be). We had 159 workers for each retiree in 1940 and it took 2% of the workers earnings. Now we're down to 3 workers for every retiree and the bite on their pay check is much higher. That's what ponzi schemes do. No "American business culture" forced that on us. Politicians in Washington DC did that. Time you started putting blame where it belongs. |
Anonymous
Anonymous
Because when women are educated and given a choice, they make a better one. |
Anonymous
Do parent-less people get refunds? Wtf is wrong with you? |
Anonymous
That’s not a better choice, that’s called desperation. A system built for dual incomes that provides zero flexibility, support or empathy for parents. Having multiple children bankrupts and enslaves you until death. |