As the current administration and pro-natalist groups continue to panic about women delaying motherhood, we must reject the “alarming fertility statistics.” If women choose to have children, that decision should be guided by their own goals, circumstances, and desires, not by pressures to solve a manufactured problem.
At the end of the day, supporting families means creating conditions in which people can make reproductive decisions freely. The solution to declining birth rates is not limiting women’s choices, but ensuring they have the resources and support needed to build the lives and families they want.
17 Comments
Elting@piefed.social · 17 pts · 51d
At this point 90% of the time someone starts on about demographics and birthrates, it’s just fascist dog whistling. I can’t be convinced declining birth rates are a real problem, our labor has long since stopped being the limiting factor on productivity. The evidence is in how many pointless jobs there are.
ScoffingLizard@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 11 pts · 51d
I was shocked to discover just how many people think bullshit jobs are a myth.
velma@sh.itjust.works · 9 pts · 51d
Same, I can’t be bothered to be worried about something that isn’t actually a problem.
Oh no, women are more in control of their life choices?! Yeah I’m not opposed to that.
Elting@piefed.social · 9 pts · 51d
That is what they are actually scared of lol.
AA5B@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 51d
It’s a tough issue to talk about- I see it as a real problem. However it’s been so captured by regressive that most people jump right to arguing that rather than actually thinking.
The birth rate is getting low enough to be a serious problem and some of the reasons are side effects of good changes. However the solution is NOT a reversion to more oppression for women. The solution is NOT walking back education or opportunities for women. The solution is never to reject those good changes.
So what is the answer? Having children is challenging, expensive, and our society does very little to support it. It’s society that needs more children, not individuals what is society offering for that? How is it helping? How is it making children easier, less expensive, more rewarding?
Some countries have been trying without much luck. That tells us we’ll have to put more effort into it, more time. This is an urgent problem both because of the long lifetime of people and that we don’t have much positive leverage
Darthcapi@lemmy.ml · 12 pts · 51d
velma@sh.itjust.works · 11 pts · 51d
Yep, several on the right have been throwing absolute fits that the falling birth rate is partially tied to teens preventing pregnancies at higher rates.
Disgusting.
LibertyLizard@slrpnk.net · 7 pts · 51d
Wild stuff. Reducing teen pregnancy has been a goal of nearly everyone in society for decades. I can understand why they might be more concerned about fertility rates among adults but teen pregnancy is very dangerous...
velma@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 51d
It’s not been a goal amongst Christians.
Crostro@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 51d
Animals under high stress do not reproduce. This has been well established. Humans are animals. The global economy has produced too much stress and the rewards are going to a handful of people, while we suffer to make "line must always go up" a reality for them, we can't afford food. But we did briefly have the world's first trillionaire, so that's pretty nifty.
velma@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 51d
It's not really about the stress so much as it is about women having control over their own life choices.
Which is what the article says.
Crostro@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 51d
I agree, women not having bodily autonomy, speaking as a non female, sounds like it would be stressful
velma@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 51d
Women are delaying having children and prioritizing other things like career advances, education, and travel which is affecting the birth rate.
Which is what the article says.
Yes the stress has an impact as well. But there’s other reasons like women having more choice over when they have children.
Gonzako@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 51d
Make it easy to be in a community, fed and comfortably housed and you'll start seeing lots of kids again. Tho, the attention black holes in our pockets are also a part of the problem imo.
velma@sh.itjust.works · -1 pts · 51d
We don’t need to solve a problem that isn’t a problem, specifically the falling birth rate.
Let women choose when they have children.
Plus give us all the good community and safety social nets. But not because it’ll make women have more babies, because it’s the right thing to do regardless.
Gonzako@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 51d
???? I didn't say women women should be forced. I think they want to have children but current socioeconomic policies don't allow for it. I say it as a lucky person that's gonna be an uncle soon. Because my sister has all of the 3 things I mentioned.
velma@sh.itjust.works · -2 pts · 51d
Did you read the article?
I’m not saying you think women should be forced.
The article details that women delaying children and having more choice over WHEN they have children is affecting the birth rate more than material conditions.
I’m just having a conversation with you about the article.
newton@feddit.online · -1 pts · 51d
Its all the supplements in food and water,who are responsible .