Why Are Westerners Having Less Kids ?

[Dicehunter]

Selfishness would make sense on the surface of things as people want to have more out of their lives due to higher levels of income and education. It's also become easier than ever to travel and move around the world. Not to mention women's rights have moved forward an awful lot over last half century and so far they are only ones who can produce those babies. More and more women are now working and taking time out to have kids means losing valuable years in a highly competitive job market.

That creates another argument though, is having children a right or a privilege? We mention that it's selfishness that's stopping Western world from having kids but is it not selfish to think that we can all keep making 3-4 babies or even more like we see in poorer countries? All in a world with already strained resources with burgeoning global population and plenty countries out there that can barely sustain its citizens yet their populations keep rising.

Now certain birth rate does need to happen in order for our species to survive but we seem to be working under assumption that current population trends and birth rates as a whole on this planet are sustainable.

EDIT: Forgot to add a sentence that maybe the populations in developed world and Western nations as you put it are simply starting to reach their saturation point.

The thing that is worrying though is the fact native peoples within the EU will eventually become a minority in their own countries due to overwhelming immigration and declining birthrates of native peoples but an increase of birth rates from non native peoples.

Just look at Sweden, In 1-2 decades based on current stats the swedes will be a minority in their own country, Same goes for other European countries in 2-5 decades which is frightening really.

 

[Liquiduk]

If our forefathers had this same attitude I'm pretty sure we wouldn't be here

Who said our forefathers lived in the same world we live in today? Attitudes and cultures have shifted at a very quick rate which I think factors in to the OPs observation. This does not however take away from our human need to reproduce eventually.

 

[neoboy]

I for one love to reproduce as long as it doesn't result in kids.

 

[dunker]

my father was just rubbish, i just can't pass on those genes ever.

 

[Lycosa]

I kinda feel like the ones having more than a couple of kids are as selfish as those not wanting to give up their free time to have kids. The world isn't getting any bigger and this country is rather cramped already. As someone who hopes to eventually have children, I'd actually feel a little guilt at contributing to this mess.

 

[Rosbif]

I'm sure lots of people would have more kids if a single middle class income could support a mother at home and a property worthy of a large family.

 

[jon86]

The thing that is worrying though is the fact native peoples within the EU will eventually become a minority in their own countries due to overwhelming immigration and declining birthrates of native peoples but an increase of birth rates from non native peoples.
...

Indeed. Certain countries will very quickly lose all native people groups, and in doing so, lose all national identity.

I think that one of the main answers to the OP's question is selfishness. Western society, in general, has adopted the idea that life is just about the individual, and what s/he can get out of it. This has naturally led people to not want kids, as that would be a "burden" on their own human autonomy. It's funny that if all of our parents were so self-centered and thought the same, none of us would exist today.

 

[Dicehunter]

Indeed. Certain countries will very quickly lose all native people groups, and in doing so, lose all national identity.

I think that one of the main answers to the OP's question is selfishness. Western society, in general, has adopted the idea that life is just about the individual, and what s/he can get out of it. This has naturally led people to not want kids, as that would be a "burden" on their own human autonomy. It's funny that if all of our parents were so self-centered and thought the same, none of us would exist today.

Exactly what I said above If our forefathers had this way of thinking none of us would be here right now.

 

[Aldav]

I'd say there's a mix of reasons. It's worth remembering that average family size is a lagging indicator. That is, the effect showing up in the statistics lags quite a way behind the factor that caused the statistical variance, and in this one, it will be some years behind.

Causes include greater prosperity, less reliance on kids as a 'pension', rapidly decreasing child mortality rates (which feeds into the previous point, because the need for 'spares' reduces), dropping levels of religious adherence, and increased availability, acceptability and effectivensss of contraception.

Another cause is increasing gender equality, because most women seem to want a career rather than spending year after year perpetually pregnant. Yet another is medical technology facilitating far later safe childbirth, meaning women get well underway with careers before starting a family, and the age of the mother on birth of first child goes up, often into 30s. This leaves less time for 10 kids, but is fine for two or three.

I'm sure I've missed a few factors but a blend of all these, and changing socio-economic context, all feeds in to the picture. But tying down exactly what caused what magnitude of change is inevitably going to be as much based on speculation as investigation because of the nature of the question.

 

[Stovepipes]

Personally I have no idea why people are so obsessed with having kids. I grew up pretty poor I haven't really managed to completely escape poverty and I know I'm one bad or unlucky decision away from it so why would I burden myself with kids.

Plus I haven't really got anything to offer them, imho it's kinda selfish to have kids when you know you'll have to rely on handouts to support them. Anyway there's 7+ billion people already no one needs my contribution & I'd be a terrible parent anyway.

 

[Amp34]

The suggestion that not having kids is somehow selfish is odd. You could argue is the other way round. If you likened it to a buffet the people that have lots of kids could be seen as the people that take their plate up and stuf it full of food, taking more than their fair share, leaving the rest to pick at what's left on the table, taking small portions to allow others to experience all the food. IMO anyone that has more than 2 kids is the selfish one.

As has already been discussed it's mostly socioeconomic. Education and equality being major factors. Just look at the massive reduction in family sized in many developing countries. As they become more prosperous, have access to better medication, safe drinking water and contraception, and women become more equal family size declines significantly.

Unfortunately for the world at the moment better medication and safe drinking water is the forefront of development, meaning there is a lag between having lots of children that survive and realizing you don't need to have that many children. That is one of the reasons human population has exploded in the last 50 years but is predicted to slow significantly and peak at the 10 Billion.

 

[kwerk]

Housing prices.

 

[Freakbro]

Well it's the demographic economic paradox along with few others theories that link higher socio-economic development with lower overall fertility rates which are largely observed in most developed nations. Pretty popular debate in social sciences actually with quite a few reasonable explanations.

Not saying your Indian friends are poor or poorly educated but it is a culture that is normally linked with higher birth rates.

Not to mention women's rights have moved forward an awful lot over last half century and so far they are only ones who can produce those babies. More and more women are now working and taking time out to have kids means losing valuable years in a highly competitive job market.

So the downfall of Western Societies is going to be due to educating women, hmmm, we should never have let them out of the kitchen

 

[Cosimo]

Probably because people like reenacting porno money shot scenes and it goes everywhere but where its meant to

So are you blaming this on this rise in use of sex toys?

 

[BusError]

What about some of us just don't like kids? I hated kids when I was a kid. Hasn't improved since. Do I want one? Nope.

The fact that you don't hear parents 'regretting' having kids is that their brain chemistry changes when they have the kids; and they become protective beyond any logic. It's a species survival trait that prevented early parents from throwing the screaming brat against the cave wall.

And I'm with the other poster; ALL the problems on the planet are due to overpopulation. If the rest of the world hasn't realized it yet and want to continue breeding like the plague, well so be it, but /someone/ somewhere has to do something about it by not adding to the pool.

 

[Lokai]

More and more people are growing up self entitled and just aren't up to the challenge of bringing children up, we should be grateful they are at least aware of this.

 

[Nix]

More and more people are growing up self entitled and just aren't up to the challenge of bringing children up, we should be grateful they are at least aware of this.

That argument kinda falls down when you consider for most of human history, people were raised by uneducated simpletons.

 

[Roar87]

I'm 28 and don't have any kids yet, I feel like I've only recently got myself into a position where I could actually have a kid financially. Our generation has had it tough with the recession and house prices being so steep.

 

[wordy]

That argument kinda falls down when you consider for most of human history, people were raised by uneducated simpletons.

You're comment is selfishly stopping him for viewing people who don't have kids as selfish.

 

[MichaelAwkward]

Tell that to every country who's birth rate is increasing minus the EU/UK/US/Japan

Such as? Parts of the EU and US have increasing birth rates whilst the rest of world's are decreasing generally. We passed 'peak child' in 2011. World population continues to grow because of momentum, not increasing birth rates.

Well it's the demographic economic paradox along with few others theories that link higher socio-economic development with lower overall fertility rates which are largely observed in most developed nations. Pretty popular debate in social sciences actually with quite a few reasonable explanations.

Whilst it's true that over the past 50 years, greater levels of female education and female participation in the labour force combined with socio-economic development (this alone doesn't result in lower fertility necessarily) have driven lower levels of fertility, studies are now finding that cohorts of the baby boomers that are finishing their fertility years are actually simply delaying their child bearing until later in life in some settings, such as the UK and elsewhere. It's whats called the 'changing life course'.

So rather than people trying to fit a career, kids, home ownership, etc. into a very small window say between 20 and 40, trends are now appearing in developed populations where people stagger these events over a much longer period. This has been driven by both economic freedom (particularly for women) and longer healthy life expectancy.

Countries in Southern Europe for example, have bigger social structure problems that are preventing this and that's why many of them have experienced 'lowest low' fertility in recent years.

Of course what many women find is by the time that they think they're ready to have children, the biological limits of fertility are much less forgiving. Either way it's not certain that higher development = lower fertility. A number of Western countries have been experienced growing birth rates recently, the UK and US particularly (and before any one says it, no, it isn't driven entirely by migrant mothers).

Other ideas include the low fertility trap, the idea that as more and more people are raised in families with fewer children, they go on to want/have fewer children themselves.