Why Have People Stopped Making Babies? - The Fertility Crisis
Why Have People Stopped Making Babies? - The Fertility Crisis
Most developed countries are nearing a quick and persistent depopulation with the current trend. We're no longer reproducing fast enough to replenish our numbers. We're a dying breed.
I heard the term suicidal society being associated with declining birth rates, and it makes sense. Well, we are slowly killing ourselves as a society, so in a way, we are suicidal.
Fertility is dropping. Natality is the lowest it’s ever been in many countries. We’re long past the replacement rate for developed societies.
What the hell is going on?
At some point in our lives, a fundamental question begins gnawing at us, demanding an answer.
What is the purpose of life?
From nature's perspective, the answer is clear, isn’t it? The purpose of life is the continuation of life. The universe is ever-expanding. Everything alive in nature is designed to, first and foremost, reproduce. Every cell divides into two. Every living organism strives to multiply. It’s one of the strongest instincts in all living beings, right next to the survival instinct.
Humans are thinking animals, so we tend to complicate things. We’ve come up with infinite theories about our purpose, often to the detriment of our most basic instincts and genetic demands. Nature demands expansion and holds reproduction as the highest of goals. The one thing that ensures species don’t go extinct and that the ecosystem thrives.
The simpler the living being, the more prominent this instinct for reproduction
Viruses, for example, have one apparent purpose and function - to infect hosts in order to spread, which is their version of having kids. Similar can be said of bacteria. Plants spread their seeds in the wind, impregnating the soil with more plants. Insects serve as impregnators of plant life if there ever was a purpose to their existence. Most animals do nothing more than eat, poop, and live their lives in search of mates with whom to produce offspring.
Humans are no different
We are, after all, just animals with overactive brains. What is the strongest of our instincts and impulses? To survive and to mate, isn’t it?
If we were to look at humans without the modern-day attributes and distractions, they can easily be reduced to eating, pooping, and making babies. That’s how we populated this planet. It is the force that drives us since our early teen years. To meet people of the opposite sex and to mate with them. Now, we’ve complicated things by adding philosophy, religion, lust for money and power, and contraception into the mix, but the fundamental drivers are clear.
There’s no use pretending otherwise, and no - exceptions don’t negate the rule. They confirm it. In nature, those exceptions that don’t want to mate and reproduce would soon go extinct, and the healthy, strong specimen would successfully reproduce, ensuring the survival of the species and societies.
In modern society, we tend to pamper the weird, sick, and weak, so instead of going extinct, ensuring a healthy species, they multiply through society. I’m not saying it’s wrong; far from it, it's just unnatural.
What do you end up with if you take away the modern distractions of life?
Let’s paint a picture to understand this point better. Imagine a primitive society of the sticks and stones variety. They form small communities called tribes. They’re basically just big families at this point. How do they spend their lives?
They gather resources, hunt, and forage to feed themselves and their communities.
They try to survive from predators and other tribes.
They mate and reproduce, ensuring their tribe and their families.
What other activities do such primitive, simple people have?
They don’t watch TV or play video games.
They don’t go to school for twenty years.
They don’t work a job in the sense of building a career.
They don’t chase money and power.
They don’t dream of traveling the world.
They don’t wonder what sex they are, dream of alternate lifestyles, or dedicate their lives to “higher” purposes like serving a God or seeking knowledge.
Even in those societies, there were exceptions
Of course, they were. Magicians, healers, shamans, warrior tribes, and outcasts. In every population, there is a certain percentage of the population that doesn’t want or is incapable of following this reproductive cycle and societal game. Every family has always had a weird uncle, right?
I must make this clear: there’s nothing wrong with that
As long as they’re a small minority, they represent an interesting variety of any society and are often very beneficial in their alternate pursuits (science, spirituality, knowledge, education, travel…). Even if they don’t bring anything special to the table and just talk to themselves, humping trees on the outskirts of the village, they’re mostly not harmful (but not always).
We can all learn from each other and, most importantly, respect our differences. Live and let live!
Let’s move into more modern times
Let’s say a few thousand years before our time. People were mostly farming, but there were other societal functions as well. From priests to soldiers, people began specializing according to their particular skills. Most are still farmers, though, living simple lives. Back then, people had many children, which remained true all the way to the advent of technology - not that I’m trying to connect the dots here.
Even our grandparent's generation often had six to eight kids (in my part of the world, at least). Our parents' generation is the one that abruptly cut those numbers down, isn’t it? Phew! It’s not all our fault, woohoo! Speaking for the 20-50 age group. But it is, sort of, as the latest generations have fallen off the cliff in natality!
Here’s a table of the last 120 years globally.
Source: All data is up to the year 2020. The latest numbers are even worse. The source is Chat Gpt. Take all data with a grain of salt and as an approximation because it fluctuates and AI is not the most reliable source. Still, we’ll be able to get the general picture. For more reliable numbers, visit https://ourworldindata.org/fertility-rate.
Now, let’s focus on the USA, as I know most of my readers would be interested in those numbers.
It’s the same picture, only lower numbers when there’s no “south” to save our buts.
Both indicate there was over a 50% drop in fertility in the past 120 years!
We’re dying as a society
We’re no longer replacing our numbers, let alone increasing them, especially in the developed countries. We require 2.1 children per couple to maintain our numbers statistically.
Others will need more, as they haven’t solved the problems with high child mortality. I’m no fan of modern medicine, but this is one development I am eternally grateful for! Our kids are dying a lot less than even a few hefty decades ago.
As a parent, there is nothing more important to me than my child, and it would absolutely destroy me to live longer than my daughter. I want to be an old, feeble fart celebrating her fiftieth birthday, surrounded by her extended family, sleeping at the table after eating one donut, happy as a clamp!
Reality check
Before we go looking for reasons as to why people choose not to have babies today, we must ask ourselves a very fundamental question:
Have all people from all countries stopped having babies and are now slowly going extinct?
Let’s look at the lowest natality rates in the world.
Note: for some reason, China isn’t on this list, though it should be, as it is estimated that it’s now at less than 1.3 children per family.
And now for the highest fertility (or natality) rates in the world.
The answer is a resounding NO! Not all countries suffer the same problems.
It’s the money! “We can’t afford to have a family these days” argument
I’ll admit this sounds so real that you almost can’t help but believe it. However, it’s not true. We may have more of everything than any previous generation in the history of humanity, but we’re also used to more and demand more from our lives. We want our freedom and independence. We want to travel. We want to keep our hobbies. We want to keep what we are used to. It’s only natural.
That’s why the whole money argument is flawed. It’s not the money. If anything, we could say it’s our priorities.
Let’s add GDP per Capita into the mix to see if money has anything to do with it.
Hm, how about some neighboring countries, like the USA and Mexico?
We all understand that the USA and Mexico share a border, right? We also know that the USA is a far wealthier country. We’ll get to that. What gives, then? Are the Mexican women that much hotter? (spoiler alert - that’s not it) Aren’t people from Mexico constantly trying to migrate to the USA?
How about the best and worst countries by natality in Europe?
This almost looks like the opposite of the Mexico - USA data, doesn’t it? Something is amiss. Richer countries have more babies for some odd reason, while in most examples above, the picture was diametrically opposite.
Let’s include some neighbors on the European continent.
We get the point, right?
Not every country faces the same problem, and some stand out significantly. Some nations are still banging away like there’s no tomorrow and “ratataing” babies out of their uteruses.
Money is hardly the common denominator in determining how many children people decide to have. The most fertile nations are the least wealthy or developed, but that is not a pattern that repeats once we narrow the comparison (within the same continent). Even if I look around, it’s not the amount of money per family that determines the number of children they have. There just is no connection that I can find.
Our era has significantly diminished the birth rate, but only in some places. Predominantly in more developed countries, though not exclusively.
So it’s not the times, and it’s not the money. What then?
We don’t have an objective, all-inclusive answer, but we do have plenty of theories. Here are some of them.
Lack of faith and family values
Religious and conservative people believe the reason is that people have lost their faith and family values. The standard structure of a family is under attack, and when humans don’t have faith, they fall down some dark paths, either into alternative lifestyles or depressive thoughts. I don’t necessarily disagree with some of their points.
If you believe in God, then perhaps you are more optimistic about the future and feel safer as, you know, you’ve got the supreme being covering your back and running the show. Putin, a one-degree change in temperature, or some other boogyman doesn’t seem as terrifying when you believe that the one who created everything can whisper a word and make it all go away.
The family unit is undoubtedly being attacked. Actively by certain influential groups, and in general, with new ideologies, values, and a shift from collective to individual. Consequently, people get married later in life, less frequently, and break up more often.
The gender roles debacle
Women and men have been playing dress-up in their roles for the past few decades. It’s all fun and games until we don’t even know who we are anymore, what makes us tick (want to reproduce), and how to make a relationship work.
While I don’t necessarily support the idea of this being a primary concern, I do see how it could be a problem ending with people being more miserable, confused, unhappy, and depressed, which isn’t exactly a great recipe for a healthy sexual appetite or a nurturing mood.
I suppose I could include the LGBTQ+ (or whatever that is now) at this point. Latest statistics in the West show an alarming increase in kids confused about their genders and sexual orientation. Something like 25% of young people today count themselves among the aforementioned “cool kids.”
I think, or hope, it’s just a phase - a direct result of insane pressure and cultural brainwashing of late. I don’t want to think of the inevitable consequences because they’ll be tragic and long-lasting. Especially on the individual level, resulting in a lot of depression, misery, and worse.
Women also didn’t work “jobs” for most of our history. That’s a relatively new thing and can’t be good for fertility. It’s great for empowerment, but less great in terms of real world consequences as two people now have to work for the same relative income, and there is no one left at home to raise kids.
It’s the climate and the end of the world overhang
People who profit from climate change fearmongering, taxes, or technologies will say it’s the climate and the overhanging danger of complete annihilation of humanity that is the cause. I agree to the extent that people are indeed afraid of that happening, but not as to the real danger of it all.
The fearmongering has taken its toll on the young generations today. They feel like it’s all going to come down any moment now, and what’s even worse is that they feel responsible for the downfall of our planet. More babies mean more villains in this world, according to the Eco Green Movement’s religion. Talk about a “death cult” wrapped in fine clothing and good intentions.
Everything seems more important than human life in the heads of our impressionable youngsters. We are the worst virus on this planet, so adding more humans is a bit like being Hitlers and committing genocide upon the earth and animals that occupy it. It's all nonsense, of course, but it’s a real psychological phenomenon.
Humanity has produced many cancerous ideologies, but this one takes the top. When just being alive, procreating, and breathing is a “sin,” you know you’re fucked up! The self-hate these poor, misguided souls feel toward themselves is horrifying to watch.
Technology is the devil! Smartphones, social media, and the internet are why people don’t procreate anymore.
There is no denying the time-related “coincidence” of the development of these latest technologies and the drop in natality among the developed nations. Nations that don’t have such broad access to the internet and smartphones are indeed making more babies. What else are they going to do with their free time?
The fact is that technology has brought us immense benefits, comfort, achievement, and comfort. I love and embrace it. Always have. I’ve also played video games for dozens of hours straight while my horny girlfriend watched half-naked on the bed, desperately trying to get my attention (in the early days of my adulthood). I’ve spent, some would argue, wasted a large chunk of my life on technology. Still, to this day, I spend most of my days on the computer. So, I’m no technophobe!
Having said that, I can’t help but wonder if the social impact the internet, smartphones, and social media have had on our society can be partially blamed for this mess. I don’t think it’s directly responsible for us not having babies, but perhaps indirectly contributes to the issue.
We don’t socialize as much as we used to (understatement of the year).
We don’t go out and meet mates by sniffing them (biological) but by judging their pictures and capabilities in “chat mating rituals.” People are apparently having problems dating, is what I’m saying.
We sit on our asses all day long, which tends to lower our testosterone, endurance, strength, and vigor.
We are more miserable and depressed than ever, partly as well due to making comparisons with made-up, unrealistic images of perfection and idealizing the unattainable. Whether it’s about our self-image or lifestyle, it’s challenging to be happy and content these days, as we’re bombarded day and night with ideas of more and better.
Societal changes, living in cities, and working longer hours
Looking at the problem from this vantage point certainly sheds some light on a possible issue. People in the cities live different lives than rural populations. They spend more time on education and careers. They prioritize their lives differently and start families at a much later time in their lives.
While cities offer abundant amenities, cultural and educational opportunities, and employment prospects, they come at a cost. That price is often paid in time, health, and less focus on families. When you work long hours just to get by and have to monitor your kids all the time, as there is no safe and relaxed environment for them to play in, having more children seems almost an impossible nightmare. Not to mention all the distractions of a shiny metropolitan city.
I can’t blame the city folk for sticking with one to two kids. I’m one of them, and if we were to be able to afford to have five kids, we would also need to make five times what we make, hire nannies, buy a house, and so on. In rural environments, things are different. Better in some ways and worse in others.
Many people who live in large cities also moved away from their homes, so they lack the support of their immediate families, which makes an enormous difference. I speak from experience!
People are generally older and start families later in life
We often overlook this simple yet glaringly obvious fact. In countries with lower fertility rates, people settle down later and start “working on children” when previous generations were already nursing grandchildren. I say “working” because people aren’t as fertile and potent at forty as they were at twenty.
In my own family, my grandma had my mom when she was twenty, and my mom had me when she was eighteen. On the other hand, I skipped a generation and had my first and only daughter at thirty-eight! My father became a grandfather at fifty-eighth. If my daughter follows in my footsteps, I won’t live long enough to meet my grandchildren.
A lot of people struggle to get pregnant in the Western part of the world, in significant part due to their age and lifestyle, according to science. Whatever that means these days. I know of many couples who have tried hard to have a baby but simply cannot.
I can tell you the number of artificial inseminations and problems with getting pregnant and successfully nursing babies the entire term are abhorrent high! Especially among those who chose to have kids in their forties, and this has only been increasing for the last few decades. WHO estimates one in six people are affected by infertility in their lifetime.
I’m fully aware that there are many factors influencing our fertility capabilities. Age is just one of them, but it is a big one. I believe most problems stem from our heads, but that’s a topic for another day. This article is already too long.
Conclusion
We can discuss possible reasons without end, but we’ve covered the most prominent theories.
The facts remain that people have fewer children when they:
Live in big cities, developed countries, and more prosperous nations.
Explore alternative lifestyles, gender roles, sexual orientations, and faiths.
Spend a lot of time working, studying, building a career, or chasing money.
Depend on technology for social interactions.
Live separated from their families.
Why don’t I have more children?
Honestly, I would love to, but:
My girlfriend closed the shop as she feels fulfilled with our little girl (her words). I feel the same. I just like the idea of more great, fun, beautiful people running around our house. I also immensely enjoyed all of the phases of her growth thus far and find it depressing never to experience any of that again.
I’m old and feel old-ish! I’ll be sixty by the time this young lady grows up. I’d be near seventy for any subsequent kid. It doesn’t seem fair to them or feasible for me.
I can’t afford it without serious compromises to how we live, and I’m not talking about downgrading my car but altering everything! Unless we somehow get lucky and money starts raining down from out of nowhere. Then, I might start nagging the “old lady” for a grand reopening of a her baby-making factory! It is what it is.
Did you notice how there’s no fear of a dark future for my kids in this mix?
That’s because I can’t predict the future and refuse to worry about things beyond my control. Do I think things are getting worse or better with time? Better! But not all and not all the time. I wrote about this before. Please check it out:
Are You Afraid of Having Children Because the Future Looks Grim?
Should you or should you not have children in these perilous times?
OMG, We Live in the Most Horrible Times in History
120 years in retrospect. Spoiler alert: that’s just subjective nonsense, but I get the cynicism.
Did You Know That Your Attention and Media Bombardment Cause More Harm Than Good?
The curious case of media and politicians increasing the frequency and intensity of what they sensationalize.
Feeling Scared about the Conflict in Ukraine? Don't Worry, There's No Need to be Anxious!
Is an apocalypse going to end the world in a giant ball of fire? - It doesn’t matter! There isn't a Goddamn thing we can do about it.
Are we a suicidal society?
I heard the term suicidal society being associated with declining birth rates, and it makes sense. Well, we are slowly killing ourselves as a society, so in a way, we are suicidal.
Since things have objectively improved for the developed countries, why has the birthrate fallen so hard?
We need to think about these reasons a lot more than we are. Not necessarily to replace our numbers in fear of humanity going extinct (it won’t, though there will be changes) but to recognize it as a symptom of greater problems in our society.
I like you. Subscribe, and I’ll deliver new stories to your mailbox. You can choose topics you’re interested in and will receive only those. I also write on other subjects, fiction, and non-fiction. Check them out!
Thanks for reading and helping by liking, commenting, and sharing! It means a lot. Follow this LINK if you want to do more. You are appreciated.