Credentialism is sinking our fertility rate (interviews, abortions, compare, states)
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I took it to mean a pushback to trades jobs that pay a livable wage, accepting basic intelligence, skill, and experience over requiring a piece of paper for many jobs where it is not really necessary, and supporting and encouraging strong family units. I don't recall race being mentioned. Focus on citizens vs. immigrants and illegal aliens.
We are marrying and having children much later in life than we once did. I agree with OldGlory that it isnt such a bad thing nor is the declining birth rates, but to those who gloom and doom over this and think mass immigration is the answer, why not work to increase our own citizen's birthrate.
One example would be how in the past one could get a job as a daycare worker, or care provider right out of HS, now people expect those workers to have a college degree and a slew of certificates spending an additional 5-10 years in school before entering the workforce.
Yep, and I would think that people who skip credentialism and get jobs right out of HS have even less career stability. Although they may divorce more but produce more children?
I don't think anyone needs to worry about population growth. At the time of Christ, year zero, the world population was about 190 million. In the 14th century add another 100 million. But then the Black Death unlived about a quarter to one half of all of Europe! Wasn't enough to stop mankind, by 1900 there were 1.65 billion people. This is something the planet has never had before. Over 1 billion people.
Was 1.65 billion enough to feed everyone? For most yes, as population started growing exponentially it appears. How? Why? In 1900 you didn't have much credentialism, but what you did have was 1. inventions 2. capitalism. And the freedom to do both. If you combine those two prosperity can reach far and wide.
0 - 190 million
1900 - 1.65 billion
1927 - 2 billion
1960 - 3 billion ok, isn't this enough yet?
1975 - 4 billion ok, are we done yet?
1987 - 5 billion
1999 - 6 billion <--added 1 billion in 12 years! What is going on?
2011 - 7 billion
2023 - 8 billion
2036 - 9 billion - projected
The US is not even near 1 billion. Is there are rush or great need to get the US to 1 billion? If the people of a country don't want more than 2.5 children, yet the gov thinks they should, but they will not, that gov may try other tactics. Gov's and people often don't want the same things.
The growth of credentialism seems to be about competition for better jobs, and getting those credentials often delays starting a family. Even after getting that better job it seems inflation is mostly what slows down starting a family. That high paying job does not provide job stability and one has to keep getting their credentials updated.
3. Families separated by distance. Lack of support for growing families.
All of these are big drivers of why people are not having kids.
Now your solutions are quite simple.
1. Pay workers more. Period, end of story. You want people to have more kids, then it has to be financially feasible.
2. Shorten the work week.
3. Single payer healthcare.
I agree with your solutions. However, our government thinks the answer is to import more immigrants legally and illegally to increase our population numbers. Unfortunately, it's mostly the illegal ones with no education or skills that make up the majority of them and poverty just breeds more poverty. They are only capable of doing low waged jobs that don't pay a liveable wage and become a tax and social burden on our society. American blue-collared workers are being pushed out of those jobs by the greed of the employers and those jobs use to pay a decent wage and because of that they can no longer afford to have many kids.
How to say "I can't get a job or get laid because of wHiTe rEpLaCeMeNt" without saying so
Lol, is "credentialism" something like sexism or racism, except with personal-choices rather than immutable characteristics?
What I wrote has nothing to do with any "white" replacement theory. It's about retaining jobs for Americans and making it easier for them to join the workforce instead of having to spend years in college. However, it's just a given that with this massive illegal immigration influx that if it continues they and their kids will eventually replace all Americans. It's about the math not racism.
I took it to mean a pushback to trades jobs that pay a livable wage, accepting basic intelligence, skill, and experience over requiring a piece of paper for many jobs where it is not really necessary, and supporting and encouraging strong family units. I don't recall race being mentioned. Focus on citizens vs. immigrants and illegal aliens.
We are marrying and having children much later in life than we once did. I agree with OldGlory that it isnt such a bad thing nor is the declining birth rates, but to those who gloom and doom over this and think mass immigration is the answer, why not work to increase our own citizen's birthrate.
One example would be how in the past one could get a job as a daycare worker, or care provider right out of HS, now people expect those workers to have a college degree and a slew of certificates spending an additional 5-10 years in school before entering the workforce.
1. Pay workers more. Period, end of story. You want people to have more kids, then it has to be financially feasible.
2. Shorten the work week.
3. Single payer healthcare.
1. Paying workers more period would do little except cause inflation. So that's a fail.
2. Shortening and 4-daying the work week for many are worth discussion.
3. Single payer is great if you want to remove the US from our preeminent position in medical research and medical education. And of course drive our brightest minds out of medicine.
Who among our most intellectually gifted young people is going to devote his/her 20s and early 30s towards a soul crushing education knowing their salary will be truncated and they will in effect be working for the .gov in the end?
The people who want others to have kids are usually the same people against the safety nets that would make people feel more safe bringing a kid into.
So they ain’t helping themselves.
Also, imagine having a daughter who might have less human rights than her great grandmother did. Yikes.
Immigrants will fill the gaps like they did in the 70’s and 80’s. And/or it will be The Hand Maid’s Tale any day now.
I have noticed that. I've noticed that some of the very people talking about how expensive it is to have children, are against a strong safety net.
I don't think we have less human rights now than in my grandmother's time. My grandmother went through Jim Crow. Being born in 1986, I never experienced that. I think I have it better than my grandparents ever did.
When it comes to birth rates, immigrants might initially have higher birth rates, depending on their culture or where they come from. However, the 2nd generation will see a drop in birth rates.
My point is this. The title of this thread is about blaming credentialism on dropping fertility rates. What I'm noticing is that people with alot of good job credentials, making alot of money, aren't having that many kids. The highest birth rates have always been among the poorest in society. I also consider that all the fear-mongering around dropping fertility rates won't change this.
Such fear-mongering hasn't convinced me to get married and have a bunch of kids. And the cost of having children isn't the main issue for me. I could have millions of dollars and that wouldn't be enough. I'm just not in the headspace to start a family. I'm so used to being a bachelor that I don't know anything else. Furthermore, I never found the right woman. Even in church I'm not seeing many single women who I would call wife material. The women who are wife material are already someone's wife. And alot of single people tend to stay away from church.
I think about some of the people who go to my church. I don't spend much time with fellow parishioners outside of church. And not because I don't want to. When there are people who have spouses and children, they naturally tend to relate to and link up with fellow married/w children persons. And then there is time. A married man with children (especially with more than 3) is spending alot of time with the family. Alot of decisions are made with the children and wife in mind. And this includes when and where said persons go to hang out, or how much time there is to do that.
Myself, the biggest issue is my work schedule. Other than that, I don't have to worry about those decisions. I don't have any children to tend to. I don't have a wife, therefore, I don't have to tell anyone I'm going to (insert place). If I want to go hang out somewhere, I don't have to think about any of that.
Not having children, and being used to being a bachelor, no amount of fear mongering will be enough.
3. Families separated by distance. Lack of support for growing families.
All of these are big drivers of why people are not having kids.
Now your solutions are quite simple.
1. Pay workers more. Period, end of story. You want people to have more kids, then it has to be financially feasible.
2. Shorten the work week.
3. Single payer healthcare.
I would also add this: Our transportation infrastructure needs to be better. It needs to be easier to get to those family members further away. We need better passenger train infrastructure. It would also help to have cheaper flights.
I'll also say this. None of what you listed plays a big role in keeping me from having children. I never found the right women, so that's a factor. And something else. I'll be 38 very soon. I've been a bachelor for so long, I don't know anything else.
1. Paying workers more period would do little except cause inflation. So that's a fail.
2. Shortening and 4-daying the work week for many are worth discussion.
3. Single payer is great if you want to remove the US from our preeminent position in medical research and medical education. And of course drive our brightest minds out of medicine.
Who among our most intellectually gifted young people is going to devote his/her 20s and early 30s towards a soul crushing education knowing their salary will be truncated and they will in effect be working for the .gov in the end?
Most children at a young age want to do something positive. It gets beaten out of them by corporate America and hurdles to employment.
You can pay workers more without adding to inflation. It’s quite simple. Taxes. Greedflation by corporate America and the shareholder class is a big driver behind inflation. The same with companies like BlackRock buying up private housing.
What good is all this medical research doing us? Our life expectancy as a nation is dropping. We could do more for our population by ending animal industry subsidies and subsidizing whole fruits and vegetables as well as figuring out how to improve quality of life so people don’t drink so much or want to use drugs.
I am shocked to see this i feel like a lot of people is having kids.
Times are changing both parents is working full time jobs and you're lucky if you have supportive retired grandparents who can help out with baby sitting if not you are screwed. The cost of living is expensive food,healthcare diapers etc.
I would also add this: Our transportation infrastructure needs to be better. It needs to be easier to get to those family members further away. We need better passenger train infrastructure. It would also help to have cheaper flights.
I'll also say this. None of what you listed plays a big role in keeping me from having children. I never found the right women, so that's a factor. And something else. I'll be 38 very soon. I've been a bachelor for so long, I don't know anything else.
It's not about you personally but you seem to make it that way all the time. You might want to take that chip off of your shoulder.
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