NYT Analyzes Causes of Low Birthrate in the US
"Not Due to Youth Selfishness"
Total Fertility Rate at '1.62'... Lowest Ever
"The fundamental cause of low birth rates lies not in the selfishness of the younger generation but in structural social problems." The New York Times (NYT) diagnosed the low birth rate in the United States this way on the 31st of last month (local time). On that day, NYT analyzed the causes of the declining birth rate in an article titled "Why Many Americans Are Not Having Children."
Last year, the total fertility rate in the United States (the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime) was 1.62, the lowest ever recorded. Although this is more than twice as high as South Korea's rate of 0.72, experts are concerned that it falls short of the replacement-level fertility rate of 2.1 needed to maintain the population size. The decline in the U.S. birth rate, which has continued since the 2008 financial crisis, has not easily rebounded even after economic conditions improved.
Mary Brinton, a sociologist studying low birth rates at Harvard University, pointed out, "American youth are not lacking in commitment to family," and emphasized that "low birth rates are fundamentally social and policy issues." She argued that the causes of low birth rates should not be narrowly viewed as individual or generational characteristics. In particular, economic factors such as rising childcare costs and loan interest rates were analyzed as reasons for delaying or giving up on childbirth and child-rearing. Karen Benjamin Structure, a demographer at the University of North Carolina, said, "A characteristic of today's young generation is that they want to reach economic milestones such as buying a house and paying off student loans before having children," adding, "After that, they want to raise children with peace of mind."
Uncertainty about the future also affects low birth rates. People choose to forgo childbirth because they judge that society is not one in which their children can live healthily and happily. According to NYT, a study conducted by Dutch sociologists found that those who believe the future generation's prospects are worse than the present are less likely to have children. Structure said, "Various factors such as the climate crisis, gun violence, and global pandemics make young Americans view the future pessimistically," and added, "Despite differences in economic and welfare systems, the common occurrence of low birth rates in many advanced countries aligns with this."
Sarah Heyford, director of the Population Research Institute at Ohio State University, stated, "Childbirth has now become a 'choice' in the United States," and "There is a reluctance to become parents if they cannot meet their children's needs."
Recent public opinion polls in the U.S. also show a continuing increase in the number of Americans who do not plan to have children. On the 25th of last month, the American internet media outlet Axios released the results of a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center from August 7 to 27 last year, targeting 770 childless American adults under the age of 50. In this survey, 47% of respondents said, "I don't think I will ever have children." This was a 10 percentage point increase from a 2018 survey and a 3 percentage point increase from a 2021 survey.
Respondents who said they had no plans to have children cited their main reasons (multiple responses allowed) as "simply not wanting to have children" (57%). Other reasons included "wanting to focus on other things" (44%), "concerns about the state of the world" (38%), and "unable to afford child-rearing costs" (36%). In contrast, only 13% cited infertility or other medical reasons.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
