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Real reasons people do not have the number of children they want revealed in new report (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 4 days ago by SleafordMod@feddit.uk to c/unitedkingdom@feddit.uk

10 comments fedilink hide all child comments

This article notes that "right-wing governments, including the US and Hungary, are increasingly blaming falling fertility rates on a rejection of parenthood", as if today's young adults just don't want children.

But the author suggests that actually people do want children, and one of the main reasons they're having fewer children is because they can't afford many children.

Thoughts?

top 10 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 28 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Falling birthrates are not a problem for humanity.

They're a problem for capitalism which can't rely on that for nebulous "growth" figures.

But if capitalists really want a solution, then a home for two adults and two children should be affordable on one average wage, not two. Build more and make them cheaper. If you can't do that then you don't care about the problem enough.

[–] shani66@ani.social 1 points 1 day ago

A plateauing population is a good thing! Growth is not a good thing! I don't get how people don't understand this. If something is going up forever it will eventually collapse spectacularly, if it's stable instead it'll stay stable.

[–] rumschlumpel@feddit.org 2 points 3 days ago

It might not be a problem in itself, but it's certainly a symptom.

[–] HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 30 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Raising children requires hope for he future.

Of course the first post ww2 generation to see lower prospects then their parents. Will hesitate to bring children into that future.

[–] WolfmanEightySix@piefed.social 17 points 4 days ago

This is one of my main reasons for not wanting kids…why would I want to bring a child into a world where I couldn’t guarantee them a decent standard of upbringing and think that the world is only going to get worse over the next 20 years anyway?

[–] Diplomjodler3@lemmy.world 17 points 3 days ago

The people who do all the handwringing about falling birth rates are the same people who bring them about by their shitty policies.

[–] Luouth@lemmy.world 10 points 4 days ago

We are only one and done because of financial constraints. I'd say that the package of benefits the government offers parents in my location is fantastic and good on them for doing so well to pull it out of the bag. However, what they don't help with is early years childcare costs (0-3 years) which costs us around the same as our mortgage each month. Only now are we able to get 30 hours paid care. That would be ok if the cost of living and mortgage rates weren't already exorbitant and we cannot even consider taking another 3 year hit with our current young dependant.

So yeah, we'd love another kid, but we aren't able to afford one!

[–] Eyekaytee@aussie.zone 2 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

This makes no sense

Millions of people are prevented from having the number of children they want by a toxic mix of economic barriers and sexism, a new UN report has warned.

How does that gel with the poorest countries in the world with societies that treat women like shit having the highest birth rate?

[–] zout@fedia.io 5 points 3 days ago (1 children)

The acces to birth control?

[–] sunzu2@thebrainbin.org 2 points 3 days ago

Correct but even places with limited BC access. It seems everywhere birth rate is declining, including Muslim and African countries