Why are Liberal Americans and European Socialists not Having Kids?

Question

The hard data on babies around the Western world is that they're running out. "Replacement" fertility rate--i.e., the number you need for merely a stable population, not getting any bigger, not getting any smaller--is 2.1 babies per woman. Some countries are well above that: the global fertility leader, Somalia, is 6.91, Niger 6.83, Afghanistan 6.78, Yemen 6.75. Notice what those nations have in common? Islam!!!!!!!!

Scroll way down to the bottom of the Hot One Hundred top breeders and you'll eventually find the United States, hovering just at replacement rate with 2.07 births per woman. But Canada's fertility rate is down to 1.5, well below replacement rate; Germany and Austria are at 1.3, the brink of the death spiral; Russia and Italy are at 1.2; Spain 1.1, about half replacement rate.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1550345/posts

By 2050, Italy's population will have fallen by 22%, Bulgaria's by 36%, Estonia's by 52%. In America, demographic trends suggest that the blue states ought to apply for honorary membership of the EU: In the 2004 election, John Kerry won the 16 with the lowest birthrates; George W. Bush took 25 of the 26 states with the highest. By 2050, there will be 100 million fewer Europeans, 100 million more Americans--and mostly red-state Americans!

Answer 1

Besides the pain of pregnancy & childbirth, which the current generation may not wish to go through because we like things easy, there's the fact that it is an increasingly complicated & difficult world out there. With a graduate degree, I don't make nearly enough to raise a child. And it would be very tough to raise them into an ethical AND happy human being! War, hunger, globalization, poverty, school shootings, gang fights in the schools, animal abuse, corruption in government, predators on the internet, AIDS, tension in the world--this is a hard time to grow up. No harder than any, really, but even small kids know a lot about the world, and it's enough to make even a mature adult jaded at times. It's daunting!

Answer 2

I detect a political, maybe even prejudiced slant in your question. The simple answer is that the biological tendency toward the expression of altruism though behavior is currently being displayed by the more educated people of the world. The planet is at the brink of sustainability. Population pressures are ruining our environment and degrading the quality of life worldwide. Earth does not need more babies. Those with higher consciousness realize this truth and sacrifice their individual right to procreate for the betterment of the whole.

Since the process of life is one of differentiation and recombination we can expect that there will be no great loss to mankind by the lack of 'liberal' American and 'socialist' European offspring. Whatever needs to be done will be by the people alive when the need arises.

Americans and Europeans constitute only a small minority of the total world population. A little knowledge of world history would cause thinking people to realize that western people have no monopoly on ability, skill, or goodness. In fact, their recent history would suggest that perhaps the world would be better off without them: two world wars costing 100 million lives. In any case, I don't think you need worry any. There was a time when there were NO Americans (meaning U.S. citizens) and only barbarians lived in Europe and yet the world kept on turning.

Answer 3

So...what's your point? Are you saying that the earth is running out of white people and that this is somewho the fault of liberal americans and european socialists? The whole planet is overpopulated and we're abusing the resources we have. The fact that there are whole countries full of starving people and that there have been so many wars all over the world over the past decade is proof that the worldwide birthrate needs to decrease. And it doesn't have to do with religion or politics. It just has to do with too many people. All this talk of "replacement rate is garbage". It's not like humanity is in danger of dying out in the next couple of years.

Answer 4

Is everything a "Liberals" fault? If you take a look, the Third World countries need more children because of the higher MORTALITY RATES there. By having more, some will survive. The Western Civilization works more, survival rate is high, divorce rate is high, so there are less children.

Everything doesn't have to be about terrorism and Muslims, you know...

Answer 5

Liberal Americans and Europeans are generally better educated than their neighbors of other convictions. Educated people tend to act more responsibly than the uneducated. The educated realize that over population is a problem and tend to have fewer children. The educated can succeed at having fewer children as they have the benefit of knowing the science about reproduction, reproductive health and management.
The result is a lower birth rate in more developed, more civilized countries.

Answer 6

All I can say is GREAT!!

The biggest environmental problem on the planet is all the humans.

Seriously, though, I think that, in the parts of the world which you note that this is the trend in, the expectation of your children taking care of you in your senior years is dissapating.

Without the expectation of a being a security blanket in the later years of life, children are noted by many more couples in today's society as being a committment that a two-income household can have trouble in meeting.

Answer 7

It's white westerners (Americans & Europeans) that aren't reproducing at a sufficient level. Most of the 100 million more Americans in 2050 will be the descendants of Hispanic immigrants, & they won't be voting for the GOP.

Answer 8

you gotta check this out


You gonna complain when there aren't any abortion clinics to picket? The level of education is a direct paralell to the number of kids you have...people have more just like a bird has more to flood the predators and hope that one or 2 will make it....Liberals are like caring birds that raise just a couple chicks, but care for them

Answer 9

So why don't U have a kid! Unless it turns out to be retarded and just plain ugly or stupid. This small Earth of ours has just too many humans on it as it is. Or U can get yourself an illegal to be your maid for $2.50/hour without benefits.

Answer 10

it's usually related to poverty/wealth...

the wealthy aren't having as many children on average... those in poverty have many... often due to no birth control and religious birth control restrictions in some nations...

those who have wealth seem to want to "enjoy" it and have children later (thus won't have as many) and it's just a quieter life...