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For what Germany lacks in birthrate, they easily make up for in immigration.
Not really. You would have to have gigantic immigration to make up for falling population, especially once it really gets going. Germany is already the world's #2 immigrant nation after the U.S., yet that hasn't stopped the demographic decline.
And immigrants to Germany have only slightly higher birthrates than native Germans, so you would have to have just massive, continuous immigration.
Priests have a discourse about the subject...according to them, people that don't want to have children are materialistic, egotistic, bla, bla...
I have another theory... my great-grandfather had a farm and nine surviving children... those children were put to work in the farm, sent to cities to work, to the army, one became a priest, another smuggler, etc.
At that time, having a child was not such a heavy burden, it was like having a cow.
Then came tractors...
Now people want their children to live much better than them, and people don't give a damn about social pressure to bear children...and if they perceive that their future children will live worse or that he will need to devote all his money for their education, better a Mercedes.
Take wars...could you imagine what would people say today about sending millions to a senseless war? Just like children, people had more than 10 children without much tought..since it was "the natural order of things".
Today, if somebody is reprimanded for not having children, he would probably say..."what for?"...
Back in those days, there was no birth control. Everyone had 11 kids, and often the wife would expire from the strain of so many births, so the men would take a second wife, and start all over again with a new family. The only way to have smaller families for people who didn't have fertility limitations, was to not have sex. That wasn't popular.
No seriously, most West European countries have a relatively low birth rate compared to the rest of the world. It's a mix of women working 40+ hours a week and competing with men, abortion, and the high prevalence of homosexuality in West European societies.
My wife and her family (they are German) are quite open about their lack of desire for children. They simply can't afford them (monetarily or in terms of time). We all have thought (when we were younger) that we wouldn't want to bring children into this screwed up world - well, they actually act upon that sentiment. It has produced an unsustainable situation in the country and now they are scrambling for taxing-paying young people to keep up with all their "free" programs. They have a socially-self-assummed one-child program that has already proven a disaster for China. This attitude will change (it has too). The only other option is to continue to bring in more young people from other nations and accept the changes to the nation that comes with that.
Sure they could afford it. After all, the government shells out tons of money for this. They just love to complain and are clueless about the world, probably think it can't be worse anywhere else.
Full time daycare costs as little as 30 euros per month. Maybe they want the government to pay for a private nanny for each child.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LongNote
It's a mix of women working 40+ hours a week and competing with men
The average work week is only 38 hours long, and mothers can stay home for over a year if they want to.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LongNote
and the high prevalence of homosexuality in West European societies.
Yes, and the earth is flat.
Last edited by Glucorious; 06-10-2015 at 02:02 PM..
No seriously, most West European countries have a relatively low birth rate compared to the rest of the world. It's a mix of women working 40+ hours a week and competing with men, abortion, and the high prevalence of homosexuality in West European societies.
Are you kidding? I bet the gay population is 2-5%. That is what I call a minority.
Over 80 % of all Norwegian women are employed and the fertility rate is 1.93. In the US only 60% of women are in work and the fertility rate is still only 1.97.
Spain:
Women in work: 50%
Fertility rate: 1.50
Italy:
Women in work: 42%
Fertility rate: 1.48
Sweden:
Women in work: 74%
Fertility rate: 1.92
I think it has more to do with economy and gender equality than anything else.
The abortion rate in the US is higher than in most Western European countries, especially among teenagers.
Are you kidding? I bet the gay population is 2-5%. That is what I call a minority.
Over 80 % of all Norwegian women are employed and the fertility rate is 1.93. In the US only 60% of women are in work and the fertility rate is still only 1.97.
Spain:
Women in work: 50%
Fertility rate: 1.50
Italy:
Women in work: 42%
Fertility rate: 1.48
Sweden:
Women in work: 74%
Fertility rate: 1.92
I think it has more to do with economy and gender equality than anything else.
The abortion rate in the US is higher than in most Western European countries, especially among teenagers.
OK, then men of Western European descent just have low sex drives?
Is there a specific reason why German people aren't having children? I have read about the situation in Japan and Eastern Europe but I am not sure as to why Germany has such a low birthrate.
About half the world lives in a country with replacement or subreplacement total fertility rates. But birthrate is a combination of fertility rate and median age along with migration patterns. New migrants tend to have higher birthrates. A younger population will have a higher birthrate than a country with the same fertility rate as an older population
For instance according to the CIA, THAILAND has a Total Fertility Rate of 1.50 while GERMANY has a total fertility rate of 1.43 , but given that Thailand probably has a younger median age, there birthrate may be higher
The same source list Thailand's birthrate at 11.26/1000 while GERMANY's brith rate is 8.42/1000.
My conclusion, is that Germany is not necessary different than about half the world (countries in Europe and Eastern Asia primarily). They are simply older.Rates of homosexuality is a minor factor.
France has a much higher birthrate and fertility rate than the other major countries in europe because they have a lot more immigration. France had the biggest population in Europe for all of history up until the 19th century when they sometimes had more deaths than births. It was surpassed by Germany and Russia. Now in 30 years it will return to being the large population in Europe except for Russia.
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