11mo ago

Birthrates are plummeting worldwide. Can governments turn the tide?

www.theguardian.com

But why on earth? Rejoice, rather.

Futurology @futurology.today

Lugh @futurology.today

11mo ago

Birthrates are plummeting worldwide. Can governments turn the tide? Nations are deploying baby bonuses, subsidised childcare and parental leave – largely to no avail.

www.theguardian.com /world/article/2024/aug/11/global-birthrates-dropping

World News @lemmy.world

AssaultPepper @monero.town

11mo ago

Birthrates are plummeting worldwide. Can governments turn the tide?

www.theguardian.com /world/article/2024/aug/11/global-birthrates-dropping

collapse of the old society @slrpnk.net

Midnight @slrpnk.net

11mo ago

Birthrates are plummeting worldwide. Can governments turn the tide?

www.theguardian.com /world/article/2024/aug/11/global-birthrates-dropping

27 comments

the only people who care about raising the birth rates are the billionaire parasites who are concerned about fewer wage slaves they can steal value and productivity from
- Don't forget the racists and religious nutjobs who both think it's their duty to "outbreed" the rest.
  
  It's the same picture.
You want kids? Raise wages significantly at this point. Put out some strong social safety nets.
My wife and I are mid-thirties trying to save for a house and retirement. A kid is not even close to an option for us.
- Unfortunately, what's probably going to happen is more taxes for people without children. It has already been considered by some parties here in czech, and it infuriates me. I'm also mostly sure that's what will happen, turning people without children to second class citizens they can leech more money from, with an excuse that they are not building our society enough. And you will get some lower-income, anti-work people spamming children even more, to abuse the benefits and support you get for them even more.
  
  I read that trumps vice president candidate suggested that before too.
  Does the tax go away after a certain age?
  Like when peoples kids grow up do you start paying the tax again? What if you’re too old to have kids? Do you still need to pay the tax?
  It’s a dumb idea, but it’s probably going to happen.
Falling birt rates might be the only thing that saves humanity
Turn the tide? Why?
- Indeed. Less people means lower overshoot, less future excess deaths.
  
  And jobs will be taken over by robots anyway at some point in the future. So, why have so many future humans who will be jobless then?
- Because some of us like that there is a humanity and want it to continue. Some of us still have hope for the future instead of letting an array of problems depress us. Some of us know we can do better. Some of us are alive.
  
  8 billion of you are alive. Don’t worry. Humanity is not going anywhere.
  Oh, you mean your flavor of humanity?
  
  I don't think you need overpopulation to do that. You can probably live a better life without so many people suffering and competing for scarce resources or fighting over jobs and land. I value quality over quantity.
Yeah, let then drop
Sounds like a fascist talking point to me.
- Pyramid scheme proponents are panicking since confronted with end of growth.
Considering climate change, any new people we create will literally burn to death before they're able to live a full life so what's the point?
- They will likely expire by mass starvation before they succumb to hyperthermia, but you're right, of course.
  
  Mass starvation won't kill everyone at the same time. These demographics will die while those survive, then repeat.
Oh no. Anyway…
I love my kids, but fuck they're expensive... maybe that has something to do with it
- And difficult. Also may have something to do with it. And employers seem to think any time. For them is wasted.
  My kids are the best thing I ever did, but I won’t pretend it was cheap and easy. I also won’t fault anyone who hesitates based on the huge effort of time and money.
  If governments want to fix this crisis, they need to make it much easier and cheaper to have kids. Like the article mentions, small measures won’t be enough. However the article glosses over the time factor - there’s a huge societal inertia to overcome and the population changes won’t be apparent to most until it’s too late

27 comments