Though having a child is a deeply personal decision, it s shaped by culture, religion, economics, and government policy. No one has a good answer asto why fertility varies among countries, says sociologist Andrew Cherlin of The Johns Hopkins University. Eroding religious belief in Europe may partly explain lowered birthrates. In Japan young women may be rebelling against their mothers isolated lives of child rearing. General optimism and pessimism count. Hopefulness fueled America s baby boom. After the Soviet Union s collapse, says Cherlin, anxiety for the future depressed birthrates in Russiaand Eastern Europe.
In poor societies, people have children to improve their economic well-being by increasing the number of family workers and providing supports for parents in their old age. In wealthy societies, the logic often reverses. Government now supports the elderly, diminishing the need for children. By some studies, the safety nets for retirees have reduced fertility rates by 0.5 children in the United States and almost 1.0 in Western Europe, reports economist Robert Stein in the journal National Affairs. Similarly, some couples don t have children because they don t want to sacrifice their own lifestyles to the lime and expense of a family.
Young Americans already face a bleak labor market that cannot instill confidence about having children. Piling on higher taxes won t help, If higher taxes make it more expensive to raise children, says Nicholas Eberstadt of the American Enterprise Institute, people will think twice about having another child. That seems like common sense, despite the multiple influences on becoming parents.
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