Well if the birth rate is falling then there are a number of options:
– Have more children. Very difficult to achieve given the cost of raising children and that women (not unreasonably) want careers and stuff too. Hungary has been trying, it’s not really working.
– Have more immigration. Hasn’t been a popular choice round here lately as many people seem to think immigrants are responsible for all this country’s public policy failures since the 1980s
– Await the robot butlers. As someone in their 50s who has been waiting for a jet pack for a very long time, trust me, this ain’t happening.
– Which leaves the only real option – the economy stagnates as the ratio of older people who can’t work increases to the number of workers. Retirement is delayed. We all get poorer.
It’s just surprising to me that it’s taken so long for the penny to drop. Another Redditor in another sub posted about how between 2000 and early 2022 the population of over 65s increased by 3m and another extra couple of million (including me) expected in the next two decades.
Edited to add: what we really need is an honest public debate about what the options realistically are and what it involves.
Around 8.2 billion humans on the planet currently, dropping that number won’t be a bad thing.
Realistically, who would want to pump out kids with the state of the world currently? Thankfully, most people see how children are a death blow to any sort of decent standard of living and life enjoyment.
Just a few thoughts:
Far more flexible working needed for oldies. Bit of pension plus part time better mentally for many. However plasterers etc often physically knackered by 55.
Massive emphasis needed on preventative health. Frankly we can’t afford millions more with diabetes 2 etc. How to nudge them in their 30s onwards to prevent expensive health issues whilst treating cancer and ‘out of the blue’ illness.
The environment would be better off with 30m less people over a long time obviously. New housing involves concrete- the most environmentally destructive process on the planet. Just expand to 80m? Most depleted biosphere in Europe already.
Immigration? OK but immigrants grow old too and need services and resources. Eventually it’s a Ponzi scheme.
Governments can’t control personal choices. Finland has a lower birth rate than UK and free or very cheap childcare and early years up to 7 yrs old ( max €300 a month childcare if you’re rich) plus reasonably cheap housing outside a few Helsinki hotspots. Finnish women, for all sorts of personal reasons not choosing to have children or only one.
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Well if the birth rate is falling then there are a number of options:
– Have more children. Very difficult to achieve given the cost of raising children and that women (not unreasonably) want careers and stuff too. Hungary has been trying, it’s not really working.
– Have more immigration. Hasn’t been a popular choice round here lately as many people seem to think immigrants are responsible for all this country’s public policy failures since the 1980s
– Await the robot butlers. As someone in their 50s who has been waiting for a jet pack for a very long time, trust me, this ain’t happening.
– Which leaves the only real option – the economy stagnates as the ratio of older people who can’t work increases to the number of workers. Retirement is delayed. We all get poorer.
It’s just surprising to me that it’s taken so long for the penny to drop. Another Redditor in another sub posted about how between 2000 and early 2022 the population of over 65s increased by 3m and another extra couple of million (including me) expected in the next two decades.
Edited to add: what we really need is an honest public debate about what the options realistically are and what it involves.
Around 8.2 billion humans on the planet currently, dropping that number won’t be a bad thing.
Realistically, who would want to pump out kids with the state of the world currently? Thankfully, most people see how children are a death blow to any sort of decent standard of living and life enjoyment.
Just a few thoughts:
Far more flexible working needed for oldies. Bit of pension plus part time better mentally for many. However plasterers etc often physically knackered by 55.
Massive emphasis needed on preventative health. Frankly we can’t afford millions more with diabetes 2 etc. How to nudge them in their 30s onwards to prevent expensive health issues whilst treating cancer and ‘out of the blue’ illness.
The environment would be better off with 30m less people over a long time obviously. New housing involves concrete- the most environmentally destructive process on the planet. Just expand to 80m? Most depleted biosphere in Europe already.
Immigration? OK but immigrants grow old too and need services and resources. Eventually it’s a Ponzi scheme.
Governments can’t control personal choices. Finland has a lower birth rate than UK and free or very cheap childcare and early years up to 7 yrs old ( max €300 a month childcare if you’re rich) plus reasonably cheap housing outside a few Helsinki hotspots. Finnish women, for all sorts of personal reasons not choosing to have children or only one.
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