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JamalChristophr
Guest
Birth Control. Birth Control. Birth Control.
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ontheway1
Guest
Materialism, hedonism, selfishness.
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Cruciferi
Guest
I was hoping it was because of celibacy 
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Theo520
Guest
I’d say it was social welfare.
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0Scarlett_nidiyilii
Guest
I have a feeling that western civilization is sort of losing its passion and drive in general.
Lots of people around me seem aimless, just marking time.
Spiritual ennui
Lots of people around me seem aimless, just marking time.
Spiritual ennui
A
Annie
Guest
People on welfare seem to have more babies than those not on welfare.
Social Security and Medicare, otoh, mean they don’t have to have children to care for and support them in their old age.
Social Security and Medicare, otoh, mean they don’t have to have children to care for and support them in their old age.
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Theo520
Guest
This is what I was thinking of. Plus kids are very expensive to raise, they don’t help the family business anymore.
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ATraveller
Guest
Those play a role and I’ll add children are no longer seen as blessings but burdens.
I’ll also add the radical changes in the way societies are structured. Some have said the mass entrance of women into the workplace has driven down wages and tax codes are structured so that both parent have to work. Urbanisation hasn’t helped. Very tall and small apartments make it unpleasant to have children. Apparently the Soviets did that with their apartments to encourage couples to have no more than one child. Not only that, they forced both parents to work by offering them pittances as wages so the state would have more control over children rather than parents.
I’ll also add the radical changes in the way societies are structured. Some have said the mass entrance of women into the workplace has driven down wages and tax codes are structured so that both parent have to work. Urbanisation hasn’t helped. Very tall and small apartments make it unpleasant to have children. Apparently the Soviets did that with their apartments to encourage couples to have no more than one child. Not only that, they forced both parents to work by offering them pittances as wages so the state would have more control over children rather than parents.
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FollowChrist34
Guest
I am quite happy to see the Irish Times actually talking about this problem. A lot of Europeans are really defensive, in denial about all of this.
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Theo520
Guest
A reduced birth rate only means you need a lower rate of GDP growth to maintain your standard of living.
Don’t people want to stabilize the global population?
Don’t people want to stabilize the global population?
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AlNg
Guest
That is perhaps true with Catholics in the USA and Europe, but it is not true for Muslims. Muslims see children as a blessing and in our neighborhood the Muslim family has six children with another one on the way. They love their children and their religion…
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Lea101
Guest
When cost of living gets higher and the number of professional careers increases, most people want to do other things in life than to have kids (especially women, since they have more options than to get married, depend on husband and have kids compared to women in different cultures/countries)
This is not necessarily an evil by itself, but it is one when kids are seen as a burden/obstacle (which is what we are seeing now)
This is not necessarily an evil by itself, but it is one when kids are seen as a burden/obstacle (which is what we are seeing now)
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Lea101
Guest
I thought Islam allows the use of contraception and even abortion up to a certain number of days
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AlNg
Guest
That is true. Most Islamic scholars will permit it under certain conditions. But certain methods are discouraged and the very conservative Islamic leaders have openly campaigned against the use of contraception. In any case, Islam is strongly pro-family and regards children as a gift from God.
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alice24
Guest
This is true. And this still not caused lower birth rates. I won´t defend contraception, I just think birth controll is not the main reason for lower birth rates.
I am a young woman in europe, and in many environments, children are seen as noisy, annoying, something you plan in the faaar away future. In my very mixed friend circle only one woman has a young child - at the age of 35. Workplaces won´t make it more easy, but that´s not the basic problem. Family values aren´t the same. Marriage rate is low. Birth rate is low. It´s a generation of people who simply skip basic adult stages of life, and I won´t say it makes people more happy.
I am a young woman in europe, and in many environments, children are seen as noisy, annoying, something you plan in the faaar away future. In my very mixed friend circle only one woman has a young child - at the age of 35. Workplaces won´t make it more easy, but that´s not the basic problem. Family values aren´t the same. Marriage rate is low. Birth rate is low. It´s a generation of people who simply skip basic adult stages of life, and I won´t say it makes people more happy.
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Vanny
Guest
What JamalChristophr said. Plus it’s happening here in the U.S. too.
I read an article that stated that 2016? I think… had the lowest fertility rates in the U.S. ever. since records have been kept.
I would add abortion, too.
I read an article that stated that 2016? I think… had the lowest fertility rates in the U.S. ever. since records have been kept.
I would add abortion, too.
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Vanny
Guest
I would also add:
I am over 60. I came of age in the early 70’s.
I lived in Calif at the time, all the way up till 40.
I remember the 1970’s at least out in Calif, there was the “overpopulation scare”.
Besides the fight for the “right” to abortion, with abortion being “married” to womens rights,
All we heard out there, from ZPG ect, was to “Stop at Two.” One was better, and none at all was good.
This was the 70’s and 80’s. Kids were seen as someone above pointed out, noisy, messy, expensive, and conflicting with careers. it was socially acceptable to have two-maybe three if the first two were the same sex. More than 3 and people started asking if you knew what caused that, lol.
This is in the U.S. It’s a bit different here in the Midwest(USA), as some families a generation younger than me are having 3-5 kids, but most of these are Christians. Most in my age group did stop at two(or three).
I am over 60. I came of age in the early 70’s.
I lived in Calif at the time, all the way up till 40.
I remember the 1970’s at least out in Calif, there was the “overpopulation scare”.
Besides the fight for the “right” to abortion, with abortion being “married” to womens rights,
All we heard out there, from ZPG ect, was to “Stop at Two.” One was better, and none at all was good.
This was the 70’s and 80’s. Kids were seen as someone above pointed out, noisy, messy, expensive, and conflicting with careers. it was socially acceptable to have two-maybe three if the first two were the same sex. More than 3 and people started asking if you knew what caused that, lol.
This is in the U.S. It’s a bit different here in the Midwest(USA), as some families a generation younger than me are having 3-5 kids, but most of these are Christians. Most in my age group did stop at two(or three).
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Vanny
Guest
yes I have read about this as well, I have also read some of the same tactics were used here as well to encourage people to have fewer children.
Read Jacqueline Kasun’s the War against Population.
I do want to add that I believe couples themselves should decide the number and spacing of their children, and if a couple decides to have few or no children, I respect that. it’s not my business.
It’s just that I hate to see coercion involved, which we have seen on this planet, either by force or by making things hard for people to have as many children as they would have otherwise.
Read Jacqueline Kasun’s the War against Population.
I do want to add that I believe couples themselves should decide the number and spacing of their children, and if a couple decides to have few or no children, I respect that. it’s not my business.
It’s just that I hate to see coercion involved, which we have seen on this planet, either by force or by making things hard for people to have as many children as they would have otherwise.
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SuperLuigi
Guest
When you have countries like Germany where it’s cheaper to be on welfare than to get a job or you can retire on “disability” because of hair salon fumes at 45 in Greece, where’s the incentive to work and provide for a family?
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