Fertility rate: 'Jaw-dropping' global crash in children being born

[Cloud7]

I can't speak for what will fix this because I don't understand the mentality of someone not wanting kids -- I respect the decision and not having a kid is much, much better than having one and not taking care of them, but just saying I can't comment on a solution because I don't understand the reasoning.

However, I will say for those of us that do want kids (such as myself) I cannot wait and it has nothing to do with economic benefits. A child will set me back significantly, but I will still (hopefully) be able to provide, have a house and enough for us to survive a good life. If I didn't have a kid though, I could buy the sports car I wanted, travel around the world and live a very flashy life.

What I am trying to say is, it doesn't seem like "economic benefit" would be much of a factor for someone who doesn't want kids to suddenly go "oh well $1k for each kid, guess I'm gonna get popping!". Issue is obviously more complex than that.

Maybe it would be best to ask people in there 30's or 40's who haven't had kids why they didn't? I also do disagree with the person who said living standards have not gone higher, they really have in some cases.

Back in the day a house here where I live was a simple 3 bedroom, 1 bath with a carport (if you're lucky). Now it's like every 30 something I talk to either wants a luxury apartment or a luxury finished house with granite counter tops.

This is my feeling as well, it’s anecdotal of course, but being a 28 year old guy, I am somewhat in the subset of people this is referring to. Personally, I want children and plan to have them in the future.

That being said, all the people I know personally that say they don’t want children, not a single one of them has ever quoted economic reasons as the reason they don’t want children, such that I don’t think financial benefits are going to sway them to have said children. It’s always been either people who simply don’t see the appeal in having kids and just aren’t interested in them, which makes up the majority of people like this that I know, and a few who just think the world as it is isn’t a good place to bring a child into.

This goes for both males and females alike in my experience.

 

[Cheimoon]

This is my feeling as well, it’s anecdotal of course, but being a 28 year old guy, I am somewhat in the subset of people this is referring to. Personally, I want children and plan to have them in the future.

That being said, all the people I know personally that say they don’t want children, not a single one of them has ever quoted economic reasons as the reason they don’t want children, such that I don’t think financial benefits are going to sway them to have said children. It’s always been either people who simply don’t see the appeal in having kids and just aren’t interested in them, which makes up the majority of people like this that I know, and a few who just think the world as it is isn’t a good place to bring a child into.

This goes for both males and females alike in my experience.

Yeah, I have never myself heard of people that don't want kids for financial reasons either. But I did hear that people have fewer kids because of the costs (in Italy for example, I think). I think that's where people can be convinced to have more kids, not so much the ones that don't want them in the first place.

 

[Cloud7]

Yeah, I have never myself heard of people that don't want kids for financial reasons either. But I did hear that people have fewer kids because of the costs (in Italy for example, I think). I think that's where people can be convinced to have more kids, not so much the ones that don't want them in the first place.

Probably. I’m not going to pretend that I’m versed in the reasons for this on a global scale, I was just quoting my own examples from people I know here in Trinidad.

Having less kids than before is definitely much more prominent now. The generation before mine, like my parents, it was fairly common for their parents have upwards of five children. My generation I rarely see more than 2-3. The reasons for this I can’t say, it’s not something I’ve ever asked

 

[Cheimoon]

I have no idea about Trinidad, but where I've been, the number of kids seems to be like a fashion as well: suddenly lots of people have 3 of 4 kids, and then the common thing is 1 of 2 again.