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That's only true if either the work can't be moved elsewhere. The other option is that output drops to match the available workforce, like in Britain after brexit for fruits and vegetables for example.
I don't mind better politics or living conditions, but look at the nordics. Best places in the world to have a kid and we still can't manage to have 2 kids per couple.
That's been happening for the last 200 years, which is why most manufacturing is in China and other parts of Asia now. But if we want to keep people in work here we need workers, and there's not enough of us.
So obviously not good enough. It doesn't have to be material, values or expectations could also be not good enough.
One year paid leave per kid per parent, almost free child care, free health care, free dental for kids, free education up to and including university, both parents expected to be on leave, can't get fired for taking leave. Oh, and you get a government alimony of about €100 per month. This is for Sweden, other nordics might differ slightly.
Having kids in the nordics is insanely good, I don't know what else we could do.
If we didn't have immigration our population would decline, along with our living standards.
How easy is it to get housing for a family of 5? How is child care if a child is sick? How high is the expectation for women to lose weight after birth and look good?
If people have 2 children but not 3 then something is missing. It could be that a third child is simply too expensive, even though almost all resources were bought for the first two children. It could be that parents are already too old and don't want to lose more sleep. Maybe all TV shows just show two children.
There must be a reason. Enumerating good conditions says not much about what is missing.
@plyth - What kind of a troglogdyte are you?
Or, to give the benefit of the doubt, have you celebrated your 12th birthday yet?
Your comments and _arguments_ are so inane to almost _have_ to be parody.
Then for sure you can tell me what is wrong instead of insulting me.
Housing obviously depends on where you want to live, but for the most part it's accessible, and you get handouts from the government if your salary isn't enough. Child care is free as I said, and you get paid if you need to stay home to take care of sick children. Not sure how to measure the expectation on women to look good, but I don't think it's a major factor in society.
People aren't having even 2 children, but for those that do have 3 or more, you get extra money from the government to cover extra cost.
What I'm saying is that there are massive incentives for parents here, but people aren't having children. We're having more than other countries, but no where near enough. So we need immigrants.
This is a material analysis. What do parents say why they don't want more children?
If Sweden is a society where people don't believe in a better future I think it's better to export the jobs instead of making more people live under those conditions.
Sweden has one of the highest living standards in the world, and you think we should let that go just to avoid immigration? I hope I misunderstood, because that's just dumb
You didn't misunderstand but drew a conclusion. How happy are people if they don't want to have children?
If they are not happy why draw people out of countries where they are happy to have kids and make them live in a society where people are less happy?
We're not forcing people to come here you know. Also the nordics are generally winning the "happiest country" award, so I don't get why you think people here aren't happy.
The decline in births is a global phenomenon. It's down everywhere except Africa, parts of Asia and parts of South America. I think 1-2 countries in S.America and a few more in Asia.
Wouldn't surprise me if countries will beg migrants to come in a decade or two.
I know the arguments. They sound reasonable. But if people get a year of vacation for making a baby, and they don't make a baby every other year then something is really bad about rising children.
You think having a newborn is a "vacation"? Oh dear.
Having a baby is risky for a woman, physically, financially, emotionally. Perhaps the outlook of the world isn't great either. Combine that with women realising that they have choices, that they don't have to have children, and you get the decline.
So the latter two can still be improved.
My argument
All three are vastly superior in most of the west compared to most of Africa, yet women in most, if not all, African countries have more kids than western women. Do you honestly think that's because they're happier? Women in Afghanistan have more babies than women in the nordics. Do you think it's better to be a women in Afghanistan?
Your argument makes no sense. Living standards are abhorrent in Afghanistan and fantastic in the nordics, generally speaking. It's not about the living standards.
No. But if you give women the choice you have to create the conditions that having a baby is the best option.
It is, if you give women the choice.
Assuming the freedom to choose, I don't think those conditions exist. I think that people that want children will have them, and people that don't won't. I think the new normal is a lower nativity.
In countries where women get to choose, nativity goes down. In Bangladesh the nativity dropped with improved living standards. There's a great video about it.
Why should there be a fixed border? Improve material and emotional conditions for families and that border will shift.
Conditions in Sweden are best and still not good enough. Of course they go down in other countries.