2024-08-03 02:34:07
NYT: “The reason for the low birth rate is not the selfishness of the young generation”
Foreign media outlets have diagnosed that the root cause of the low birth rate is not the selfishness of the younger generation, but rather the result of structural problems in economic and social situations.
On the 31st of last month (local time), the New York Times (NYT) reported an article titled, “Why Are Many Americans Aren’t Having Children?” and looked into the reasons for the declining birth rate.
According to the New York Times, the total fertility rate (the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime) in the United States last year was 1.62.
This is a high figure compared to Korea (0.72), but it is the lowest birth rate ever in the U.S. Experts are concerned that it falls far short of the 2.1 birth rate threshold needed to maintain the population size.
The decline in the U.S. birth rate that has continued since the 2008 financial crisis has not improved easily even after the economic situation improved.
In recent years, some conservatives have argued that America’s declining birth rate is the result of a “moral decline” among the younger generation, which they interpret as meaning that young people are not having children because they are putting personal desires first rather than valuing family values.
In an interview with a media outlet in 2021, Republican Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance (39) sparked controversy when he said, “Cat ladies who are miserable because they don’t have children are trying to make the country miserable too,” referring to Vice President Kamala Harris, a leading Democratic presidential candidate. “Cat lady” is a derogatory term for middle-aged single women who raise cats without having children.
When the remark sparked controversy, Vance explained, “I meant to point out that our society as a whole has become skeptical or even averse to planning to have children.”
In an interview with a media outlet last year, Ashley St. Clear (31), a young conservative commentator in the United States, criticized young people who do not marry, saying, “They only pursue pleasure by drinking all night and going to Beyonce concerts,” and “They are intoxicated with self-satisfaction instead of achieving the success of having a family.”
Citing the research and opinions of experts, the New York Times diagnosed that “the root cause of the low birth rate lies not in the selfishness of the younger generation, but in social structural problems.”
Mary Brinton, a researcher on low birth rates at Harvard University in the United States, said, “American youth are not lacking in devotion to their families,” and pointed out that “low birth rates are extremely social and policy issues.” She argued that “the causes of low birth rates should not be narrowly viewed as the characteristics of individuals and generations.”
Economic factors such as rising child-rearing costs and loan interest rates were assessed as causing people to postpone or give up having children.
“Young people today want to reach economic milestones before they have kids—like buying a home and paying off student loans—and then they want to be comfortable raising kids,” said Karen Benjamin, Ph.D., a sociologist and demographer at the University of North Carolina.
They believe that if there is no future in which children can live healthy and happy lives, it is better to give up having children.
A study conducted by Dutch sociologists found that “people who believe that the future of future generations will be worse off than the present are less likely to have children.”
“A number of factors, including the climate crisis, gun violence, and global pandemics, are causing young Americans to be pessimistic about the future,” said the sociology doctor. “This is also why low birth rates are common in many advanced countries despite differences in economic and welfare systems.”
“In America, having children is now a choice,” said Sarah Hayford, director of the Ohio State University Population Research Center. “There is a growing reluctance to become a parent if you can’t provide for your child’s needs.”
The average age of American women having their first child, which was 20 years old during the baby boom period (1946-1964), will rise to 27 years old in 2022.
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2024-08-03 02:34:07