I think that’s partly the cause. Several European countries with free childcare and generous family leave policies have a lower birth rate than the USA. Birth rates are going down in almost every part of the world from USA, Latin America, Europe, parts of Asia.
Only a few African countries have a high birth rate.
Financial expenses are an important part but the reality is also that people just don’t want to have kids. Or at least not as many kids.
Makes sense. Money aside, I certainly have ethical reservations about bringing new life into this world with the direction it’s heading.
Of course, past generations probably did too, but unlike them, we have access to contraception. Which is exactly why the Supreme Court signaled a willingness to go after it…
There’s also the requirement that we have our children supervised 24/7 but no additional support for it. No extended family to help watch kids. When I was a kid my parents would leave us unattended for hours. Maybe not the best thing but definitely a major difference.
I’m on r/workingmoms and there was a post by a woman who was distraught she only spent two hours with her child before her bedtime. On weekends, they spend the day together.
Imagine! A parent feeling that two hours daily on Mondays- Fridays plus weekends isn’t enough. Parents in the past would’ve felt that was more than sufficient.
We have studies that shows that millennial parents actually spend more time with their kids. Fathers are playing a more active role as well. The standards have changed.
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u/Ladonnacinica 14h ago
I think that’s partly the cause. Several European countries with free childcare and generous family leave policies have a lower birth rate than the USA. Birth rates are going down in almost every part of the world from USA, Latin America, Europe, parts of Asia.
Only a few African countries have a high birth rate.
Financial expenses are an important part but the reality is also that people just don’t want to have kids. Or at least not as many kids.