The below replacement birth rate in the US is recent. Europe has had it for decades now. Australia hasn't had a replacement level birthrate since 1977!
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Childless [strike]Europeans[/strike] Americans
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The below replacement birth rate in the US is recent. Europe has had it for decades now. Australia hasn't had a replacement level birthrate since 1977!
No
Ah there it is.
To quote the Great George W. Bush once again, this is some weird **** man.
Archie Gemmill Goal
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Easy to access information clearly states the 2007 US birth rate was above the replacement rate of 2.1 lives births per woman. EU member states have not been above 2.0 in several decades
smartcooky
Penultimate Amazing
Interesting, that chart shows a trend of the US rate plummeting, while the European rate remains steady.... how long before the lines cross; or have they already?
Puppycow
Penultimate Amazing
In this particular thread, I'm starting to think that the posters who stated that view were simply trolling. A chance to bash millennials, more than anything.
If I did decide to have kids, the same crowd would be horrified. I literally can't win here.
I truly don't get it. We have plenty of people. There is no people shortage. My choosing to keep my loser self out of the people-making equation is the opposite of selfish, and it certainly isn't harming anyone. It's the way I can best mind my own business and keep out of a confusing world that scares me. And still, it's a problem.
I have to say (not to get too dramatic or existential), I'm not always thrilled that I was born. It's really not that great. Why aren't I allowed to decide that I'd rather not call up any more people? Oh, it must be because I want to eat out every night.Whatever - that is so ridiculous. I almost never eat out. I'm currently poor because I'm going to school. I'm doing that so I can support myself in the future and not be a drain on society, and STILL people complain. If I had a kid, I'd be called an irresponsible welfare queen (to be clear, I am NOT on welfare). What am I supposed to do?
I want someone to explain it to me.
I guess I just should have gotten married to some old rich man right out of high school and started making babies? Is that the best way to avoid the hate? I'm pretty sure I'd be called a useless golddigger for that.
I truly wish I wasn't part of this human mess.
Well, I agree with you 100%. No one should feel like they should have to have children for anyone else's sake. And it's the opposite of selfish. Why should you care what anyone else thinks? You are right and I think you know that you're right, but just in case hearing it from someone else helps a little bit, just know that others agree with you.
bruto
Penultimate Amazing
Not to worry, I've got it.
bruto
Penultimate Amazing
There is no good explanation.In this particular thread, I'm starting to think that the posters who stated that view were simply trolling. A chance to bash millennials, more than anything.
If I did decide to have kids, the same crowd would be horrified. I literally can't win here.
I truly don't get it. We have plenty of people. There is no people shortage. My choosing to keep my loser self out of the people-making equation is the opposite of selfish, and it certainly isn't harming anyone. It's the way I can best mind my own business and keep out of a confusing world that scares me. And still, it's a problem.
I have to say (not to get too dramatic or existential), I'm not always thrilled that I was born. It's really not that great. Why aren't I allowed to decide that I'd rather not call up any more people? Oh, it must be because I want to eat out every night.
I want someone to explain it to me.
I guess I just should have gotten married to some old rich man right out of high school and started making babies? Is that the best way to avoid the hate? I'm pretty sure I'd be called a useless golddigger for that.
I truly wish I wasn't part of this human mess.
Checkmite
Skepticifimisticalationist
In reality, they have no car because unless they're relatively lucky, they were never able to find a job that paid enough to afford one, because entry-level and mid-level wages have not kept pace with the cost of living.
Pterodactyl
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Somebody explain this statistic from the OP to me:
arthwollipot
Limerick Purist Pronouns: He/Him
Actually there are lots of good explanations, but no single good explanation. Attitudes to childbirth have culturally depended on a lot of factors, not the least of which is the fact that before quite recently it was common for children to die of disease or misadventure before reaching maturity. It was therefore seen as necessary to have many children, hoping that some survive to adulthood. There is also the Christian command to "go forth and multiply" which people have taken very seriously for a long time. There is the economic issue where an economy cannot grow while population growth is stagnant (this is why immigration is so important to America (and Australia) right now).
Lots of factors, all interacting in complex and confusing ways, leads to an attitude that people who do not have children are morally inferior to people who do. Fortunately, those attitudes are changing in most developed countries right now.
Puppycow
Penultimate Amazing
If you mean why aren't the two numbers equal, one reason is that this is only people age 40-44 in the survey. It took me a little while, but this is the original source:
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr113.pdf
If older men are fathering a significant proportion of the children with younger women, then men under the age of 45 would have fewer children than women of the same age.
Other factors could include women who use donated sperm to conceive, and women for whom the father is out of the picture for some reason. Maybe she has a one-night stand and he just doesn't know.
Young, single women turning to sperm donors to conceive
Lesbian couples who want to conceive may go the anonymous sperm donor route too.
So some combination of older fathers, sperm banks, and one-night stands.
rustypouch
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I cannot argue with this thesis: https://www.amazon.com/Better-Never-Have-Been-Existence/dp/0199549265
Pterodactyl
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Thank you puppycow for taking the time to look into that.
I was mainly trying to be funny, but I appreciate your effort and agree with your findings.
I was mainly trying to be funny, but I appreciate your effort and agree with your findings.
smartcooky
Penultimate Amazing
I can go along with that sentiment to a certain extent.
I do not think that the world my grandchildren's children and grandchildren will grow up in will be a very pleasant one, physically, socially or politically. I think they will curse our generations for the abysmal state in which we have left left the planet.
rdwight
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Without having children, how will random strangers come up to you to complain about how you are raising them from the 2 minutes they noticed a toddler having a temper tantrum in a store?
I wonder what other situations people feel the confidence and need to convey their opinion so strongly to strangers. Only one that pops up is ex smokers commenting on the danger when I'm smoking, but I love adding to the list.
[Edit to add] More related to the thread, I don't understand the urge to care about this stuff. I can see parents that want grandchildren asking but beyond that, I don't get it.
I wonder what other situations people feel the confidence and need to convey their opinion so strongly to strangers. Only one that pops up is ex smokers commenting on the danger when I'm smoking, but I love adding to the list.
[Edit to add] More related to the thread, I don't understand the urge to care about this stuff. I can see parents that want grandchildren asking but beyond that, I don't get it.
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Cheetah
Master Poster
People who don't have children should be compensated, get tax breaks and medals.
Of course it's selfish having children, you are just following a biological drive and doing what feels good, there is nothing rational about it.
BTW Earth Overshoot Day was yesterday.
Of course it's selfish having children, you are just following a biological drive and doing what feels good, there is nothing rational about it.
BTW Earth Overshoot Day was yesterday.
