Why are white people all around the world not having kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is an interesting discussion. I don't know very many married white affluent women with no kids. And I knew a few white affluent never married women who decided to parent on their own. I know lots and lots and lots of black educated and professional women with no kids, mostly because they aren't partnered. I am black, educated and professional but divorced and when I was married we had to go the IVF/ICSI route for kids because of my husband's health issues. Didn't work. The idea that I might be stereotyped as the single black welfare mom has been hard for me to shake so I haven't opted to go it alone. Plus -- and more importantly -- my parents were married when they had me and my parents' parents were married when they had children and my great grandparents were married when they had children and I think children need two parents.

I think it's sad that you are willing to let perceptions of your family structure rob you of becoming a mom. Ten/twenty years from now, you're going to regret giving a darn what people think.

NP here. I am a black woman who adopted a child on my own in my late 30s. Have I been stereotyped as a welfare mom a few times in the past ten years? Sure, and it sucked (especially because i was certain I earned more money than the people making that judgment about me). But, I have also had ten years of parenting an absolutely wonderful child. If you truly want to parent a child, please don't let other people's opinions keep you from doing it.

Sounds like OP may be on the right track. If you are that concerned with society's perceptions of you and don't think single parents can raise a great kid, then you may not be a great candidate for parenthood.

Just because you CAN do it alone doesn't mean you SHOULD or that is best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hey, hey! Calm down. Marissa Myers lady is having twins. That should count for something?

OK - it was a bummer that the ONS of the French woman with the Kukaburra resulting in a baby was a hoax...but still...

Wow! MM is having two kids at one shot! Yahoo!

she'll be up to three.

she's doing her part. compensating for what i'm sure are a lot of childless workers at yahoo.

then again, she can afford 3 babies in the bay area given her affluence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What a mean spirited thread. But this being DCUM, I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

it's not mean spirited. its a good discussion because no matter what - rich white countries or poor white countries, white birth rates are below replacement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What a mean spirited thread. But this being DCUM, I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

it's not mean spirited. its a good discussion because no matter what - rich white countries or poor white countries, white birth rates are below replacement.

Wait, what?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is an interesting discussion. I don't know very many married white affluent women with no kids. And I knew a few white affluent never married women who decided to parent on their own. I know lots and lots and lots of black educated and professional women with no kids, mostly because they aren't partnered. I am black, educated and professional but divorced and when I was married we had to go the IVF/ICSI route for kids because of my husband's health issues. Didn't work. The idea that I might be stereotyped as the single black welfare mom has been hard for me to shake so I haven't opted to go it alone. Plus -- and more importantly -- my parents were married when they had me and my parents' parents were married when they had children and my great grandparents were married when they had children and I think children need two parents.

I think it's sad that you are willing to let perceptions of your family structure rob you of becoming a mom. Ten/twenty years from now, you're going to regret giving a darn what people think.

NP here. I am a black woman who adopted a child on my own in my late 30s. Have I been stereotyped as a welfare mom a few times in the past ten years? Sure, and it sucked (especially because i was certain I earned more money than the people making that judgment about me). But, I have also had ten years of parenting an absolutely wonderful child. If you truly want to parent a child, please don't let other people's opinions keep you from doing it.

Sounds like OP may be on the right track. If you are that concerned with society's perceptions of you and don't think single parents can raise a great kid, then you may not be a great candidate for parenthood.

Just because you CAN do it alone doesn't mean you SHOULD or that is best.

+1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can afford the very best nurses and caregivers.

Me too! And while they won't be my children as I won't burden them with that as my parents won't burden me with that- live in care is really hard- I recognize and am grateful for the people giving birth to those who will be "the best" as I know they aren't my peer group but the generation(s) being born after mine.

[Anonymous]

Don't worry- the other day I heard that the world population as a whole is projected to rise to 9 million within our lifetime (7 million now). So obviously lots of people are still having kids.

In all seriousness, I think the reason probably varies depending on the country and individual, but women have a lot more freedom these days, it's not a foregone conclusion that they stay home and have babies. We've always wanted kids but raising kids in this area is expensive and frankly I worry about what the next generation is going to face (climate change, wars, etc.). DH has extended family in an Eastern European country where life is difficult and some of those in the younger generation feel that they don't want to raise a kid there, but don't want to move somewhere else and leave their elderly parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it is harder to raise children in an affluent society because there is less of a family community. My DH was raised in a developing country and his mother worked. An older relative of his mother's brother in law offered to stay with her kids, for free, so she could work. She was an older lady and she didn't mind. According to DH, it all went very smoothly. Would your brother in law's older aunt want to stay with your kids for free? It's just not something I can imagine happening in a wealthier society.

People do that at all income levels in the USA if they live near each other. Get off the MY COUNTRY stuff.

I don't know, I haven't seen that.

It will be more common in the future as multi-generational households grow due to the sheer cost of housing skyrocketing and wage suppression occuring everywhere.

Not pp, but no way. Americans do not help others out like that. I can't even get a friend to watch my dog over a weekend so I could fly to my grandpa's funeral. No one would watch a baby here, not even MILs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What a mean spirited thread. But this being DCUM, I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

it's not mean spirited. its a good discussion because no matter what - rich white countries or poor white countries, white birth rates are below replacement.

Wait, what?

This is actually true. White (non-Hispanic) birth rates are far below replacement in the U.S (only 1.75 per woman).
I think Ireland is the only country where whites have a replacement birth rate.

The world is becoming brown. Better get accustomed to it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What a mean spirited thread. But this being DCUM, I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

it's not mean spirited. its a good discussion because no matter what - rich white countries or poor white countries, white birth rates are below replacement.

Wait, what?

This is actually true. White (non-Hispanic) birth rates are far below replacement in the U.S (only 1.75 per woman).
I think Ireland is the only country where whites have a replacement birth rate.

The world is becoming brown. Better get accustomed to it.

And more whites are producing interracial kids. Indeed, the world is turning into a some shade of brown.

[Anonymous]

Well- that's great! Good protection from the sun with global warming.

[Anonymous]

I'm white and we are only have one child. Mostly it's because it's a huge investment of money and time. I'm not sure we could afford more and we are solid middle class. If we had more I wouldn't be able to focus on my career.

Also, since the planet is already trashed and natural resources are becoming scarce we don't need more people, we need better quality people.

When I see other white families with 4-5 kids I think it's very irresponsible. I believe they are having them to make themselves feel better, like they are doing something worthwhile because they failed at other things. None of them that I know can afford kids' college, they barely make ends meet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think anyone has answered this but does this mean modern human life disproves darwin/survival of the fittest?

If modern life's "winners" are the ones procreating the least, doesn't that fly against the face of millions of years of genetic coding?

wpuldn't this depend on whose definition of winning we're using?

maybe it's actually our genetic coding that sucks. who knows?

The beetles are winning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What a mean spirited thread. But this being DCUM, I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

it's not mean spirited. its a good discussion because no matter what - rich white countries or poor white countries, white birth rates are below replacement.

Panic! The world is running low on white people!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What a mean spirited thread. But this being DCUM, I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

it's not mean spirited. its a good discussion because no matter what - rich white countries or poor white countries, white birth rates are below replacement.

Panic! The world is running low on white people!

Not panic, but rather a valid question. You don't seem to get it.