Japan figured it out a few years ago. Low birth rates lead to a smaller population that grows older without replacement workers.
In that nation, 86 percent of employers struggle to fill jobs. The situation forebodes what one reporter calls a “demographic timebomb.” The government has been offering birth incentives for years, including a lump sum payment upon birth, tuition breaks, and yearly cash payments–with little positive result.
France, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands and other countries also offer incentives in hopes of increasing their birthrates–also without much to show for the effort.
And now China joins the chorus, promising to end what was once a one-child, now a two-child policy–“to slow the pace of aging in the country and reconcile its shortage of workers.”
Yet despite the change in policy from one-child to two, China’s birthrate did not increase. Instead, it fell. And the disproportionate number of males to females (120 to 100 throughout the country, but 143 to 100 in some rural areas) means fewer men are able to marry further reducing the birthrate.
Lower birth rates are to be expected in any nation moving from a rural to an urban culture. Couples naturally limit family sizes in a city–without the government forcing them to do so. When people move from the country to the city, their view of children changes.
In rural areas, families need more children to work. In urban areas, children don’t naturally become part of the family’s workforce. In a city setting, children are no longer part of the team pushing toward a goal for the benefit of all.
Often, even in the Christian community, children are something to be avoided and prevented instead of welcomed.
I felt this attitude when I carried my third, fourth, and fifth children. It wasn’t socially acceptable in some circles to have a big family. It still isn’t today.
Japan, China, and European countries are reaping the results of the city-dwellers’ perspective of children. That, combined with four decades of alarmism about over-population brings us to today.
Now parents in developed countries are enjoying the ease of having fewer children. (link) (link) (link) including America where the fertility rate is now below replacement level.
As the world adds one billion people every eleven years, Eastern culture is shifting and Western culture and its Christian influence are dying.
The proverbial toothpaste has come out of the tube.
And in some places in the world, there are not enough people left to put it back in.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
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Very interesting read. I guess time will tell how the shift in birth rates affect us all.
Thanks, Yvonne. History unfolds with the same nod result of things from a generation ago.
Dear Nancy!
This is an interesting topic, also connected to some of your earlier blog posts. It’s great that you compared the policies in different countries here.
God bless!
Edna Davidsen
Thanks, Edna. Always great input from you! God bless!
Interesting post. I have read about the population control issue. There are a lot of varying opinions. Thank you for sharing with us.
Thank you, Melissa. God bless.
Not sure why we aren’t leaving conception up to the Lord to figure out how many children we will be having? Society feels they need to do parts of His job for him. Interesting article Nancy!
Great point, Paul. Trust can be hard. Thanks for participating. God bless!
This is so crazy! I just remember growing up learning that the Asian culture held such a high regard for male children, and some would go to extremes to make sure they had males. Years later, we are seeing the results of some of those extremes and trends.
Every culture reaps what it sows–often including unforeseen results of bad decisions. Thanks for commenting, Brittany. God bless.
And the world still struggles to find the balance! Thanks for bringing this to light, Nancy. Blessings to you.
Thank you, Boma. Balance and trusting God. God bless!
Another great topic to spread awareness about! Thanks for sharing these issues and providing God’s truth along with them.
Thanks, Emily, for commenting. God bless!
Great post. It’s sad when the Christian community does not see the value of having children. They limit the ability to evangelize the world. As the Psalmist says, “Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior’s hands.” Psalms 127:3-4. These arrows can shoot forth the love of Christ.
This makes me ponder how when we tamper with nature, the results are rarely good. I think of dying forests where trees that need each other as a resource to help maintain health were chopped down and replaced with other breeds to be more aesthetically pleasing. But as time went on, critters like the beetle were then able to invade leave gapping holes. Great information here and a reminder there are consequences when we go beyond God’s boundaries.
I read a sociology take on the spread of Christianity and one of the concepts was that first century christians were having more babies than secular Romans/Greeks and that was a factor in spreading the faith.
The great point discussed in the post. Very few people believe in god truth thanks for sharing.
Thanks for reading, Sazia! God bless!