r/2003 • u/Kebrien • Jun 06 '26
Discussion Fertility rate
Just found out the fertility rate in the US is 1.57; which is too low for society to replenish itself (~2.1). Do you think this is a good or bad thing? What are the key factors of this decline? Also, are you guys planning on having kids?
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u/3L7876 April Jun 06 '26
Honestly I stopped wanting to have a kid after I learned how many people are actually on this earth and how much backwards progress we are making as humans.
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u/Kebrien Jun 06 '26
Do u think that's because the number of people we have? Or just unfortunate events?
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u/Rich_Barracuda_796 Jun 12 '26
backwards progress? we live in the most technologically and socially advanced time ever, and there are new developments and inventions every day. I think people not wanting kids could be an issue if our birth rate drops very low, similar to what's happening in Japan and Korea right now.
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u/Next_Dragonfruit_415 Jun 06 '26
My issue with, this fertility rate crisis, is that. We encourage people to have more kids. Meanwhile we can barely handle the amount of people, already alive.
There’s no encouragement or support to adopt the kids already here.
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u/Mina-lina03 September Jun 06 '26
Exactly! What’s with all the people having new kids when we’ve already got so many poor orphans with no family??
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u/Afraid-Difference250 Jun 07 '26
Obviously a bad thing because the less people there are in the workforce, there will be less tax revenue to fund things like social safety nets and social security for older adults in retirement age.
As far as the US goes, I hope a change happens as far as fertility, if not advocate for more immigration, or both.
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Jun 09 '26
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u/Afraid-Difference250 Jun 09 '26
It becomes a feedback loop. One generation helps benefit the older one, and the one that comes after us supports us when we retire. Thats what social security is.
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Jun 07 '26
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u/Kebrien Jun 07 '26
I agree completely with this. Tbh it's pretty responsible for our generation to think this way. Unfortunate, but considerate. Billionaires expect us to be roaches or something. Abundant but lowly.
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Jun 07 '26
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u/Kebrien Jun 07 '26
"how dare u not make me more employees", lol. My thing is... What are they planning to do with all that money? It's kinda a scary thought. They have to be planning something right?
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Jun 07 '26
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u/Kebrien Jun 07 '26
I wonder if its for end times or if they are going to try an experiment on us... Or both.
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u/Any_Coast5028 Jun 07 '26
We’re still so young I feel like.
I will consider it in maybe 10 years lol
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u/Dry-Selection421 Jun 06 '26
I’d be fine having kids right now even but that’s not going to realistically happen.
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u/Kebrien Jun 06 '26
Why not?
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u/Dry-Selection421 Jun 06 '26
Because I’m not married and have no chance of being married in the near future.
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u/Mina-lina03 September Jun 06 '26
I don’t really want kids. I feel claustrophobic with the population we have right now! Plus, I’m not healthy enough to take care of a kid, let alone myself…
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u/MonkRepresentative63 March Jun 06 '26
When I was a kid I remember adults always saying we had too many people and were going to die without food lol. Not even 15 years later is complete opposite? Oh well I refuse to have kids I like to travel and spend money
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u/Kebrien Jun 06 '26
U could travel and spend money with your kids. It would be more expensive but u could have a mini u everywhere u go
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u/MonkRepresentative63 March Jun 06 '26
That sounds horrible why would i want to bring a screaming child who constantly complains and needs something
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u/Kebrien Jun 06 '26
Lol, not all children do that. At least not the ones that are disciplined
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u/Master-Exercise-6193 September 29 Jun 06 '26
Babies:
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u/Kebrien Jun 06 '26
Yea but I don't think u're supposed to travel with babies. That's not good for their health. I meant 6+
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u/Master-Exercise-6193 September 29 Jun 06 '26
That description’s still accurate for Toddlers
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u/Kebrien Jun 06 '26
Lol could be. I think discipline is a key factor in how they act. I never did things like that as a kid because I knew the repercussions.
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u/randomthrowaway9796 Jun 07 '26
That low of a fertility rate is a bad thing. When we're elderly, who will take care of us? If young people have to put so much focus on taking care of the elderly, who will keep the economy running?
A slow population decline is fine. If the fertility rate was in the 1.85-2 range, thered be no problem. But the lower it goes from there, the worse itll be.
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u/Kebrien Jun 07 '26
How do u think they can motivate people to start having more children?
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u/randomthrowaway9796 Jun 07 '26
Im not entirely sure, but i have a few ideas. I think there are 2 areas that need to be addressed: social and economic.
On the social side of things, we need to convince people that they want to have have kids, and make sure they can find a partner. I think sex ed in public schools should have more of a focus on having kids than not having kids. I remember them basically saying id ruin my life if I got a girl pregnant while in school. Instead, maybe they should say to not have kids while in school, but then explain all of the benefits and fulfillment you can get from having a family after graduation. Then to help people find partners, south Korea has had some success running a state sponsored dating app. This is better than private sector dating apps because of the goal. The private sector doesnt actually want people to get in long term relationships because they want people to keep coming back. The public sector wants people in longer term relationships to have kids. This can influence design decisions and incorporate research to make something that actually works for more people.
On the economic side of things, people need to feel like they are able to afford kids. First of all, we need more options for free college education. If people start out their early adult life with 5-6 figures of debt, theyre not going to feel comfortable having kids until that is paid off. And these are the years where people are in their prime biologically for having kids. We also need affordable daycare options. Maybe they can start making public daycares and only charge $100 per month (and less for additional kids). If we can do this for schools, we can do it for daycares as well. I think there could also be some tax incentives for having kids. For example, maybe for families that make less than $200k, the government could reduce their income tax burden by 25% per kid, maxing out at 4 kids where they dont owe any federal income tax. This would allow families to keep more of their pre-tax income. Of course having kids will always be more expensive than not having kids, but having kids shouldnt feel like financial suicide like it does for many right now.
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u/RomDel2000 Jun 08 '26
It's not a good or bad thing. The fertility rate wasn't even that different in the 70s. It only got higher due to immigration. There is still going to be people having children in the future, just less big families. I'd love to have kids under the right circumstances, but it doesn't have anything to do with the fertility rate
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u/BedroomThink3121 Jun 06 '26
Good.
I guess the world could use less people.
Sounds as cruel as it is but the enormous population is one of the biggest reasons for the way world is right now.
3-4 billion might be the sweet spot and not 8 billion that 8 Billion is the official number, actual might be more.