Can a Government Get People to Have More Babies?

A recent New York Times article highlighted the challenges that many governments face because of population decline. Even with incentives, most developed countries will struggle to grow their populations from within, without relying on immigration.  So, is there anything countries can do to get their citizens to have more babies? 

Around the world, most developed countries are experiencing population decline because of low fertility rates.  Japan, South Korea, and China are already feeling the impact, and by 2050, most developed nations will need to contend with aging populations. The U.S. will be affected as well.

Fertility rates measure the average number of children born to each woman in a given country.  To maintain a stable population, the fertility replacement rate of 2.1 children per woman is needed – 2.0 to replace each parent, and 0.1 to account for childhood losses.  A fertility rate below 2.1 indicates that the nation’s population will decline without immigration.

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When a country’s population shrinks, the elderly begin to outnumber the working-age population.  As a result, fewer workers are available to fill essential jobs, rural towns empty, businesses falter, and social security benefits are strained.  In light of this reality, countries are exploring ways to get their citizens to have more kids.

Can governments truly encourage their citizens to have more babies?  

Governments in developed countries are exploring innovative ideas to promote both marriage and childbearing. Examples include subsidized weddings in Japan, paid paternity leave in Sweden (“Daddy Month”), and tax incentives for couples, families, and children in many other countries, including the United States.The ultimate goal is to stimulate population growth from within, without depending on immigration.     

While these initiatives may help, it also appears they will be insufficient to completely sustain the population of most developed countries.  In today’s modern world, people are simply choosing to have fewer children or none at all.  Government strategies to encourage births may slow the decline in fertility rates, but are unlikely to reverse the trend.  Even in autocratic nations like China, efforts to promote higher birth rates have faced stiff resistance, demonstrating that there is no simple way to force people to have more children.

Takeaways:

The New York Times article underscores the challenges of trying to address population decline. Even with incentives, developed countries will struggle to maintain viable populations without immigration.

The article also highlights three important issues related to U.S. immigration:

• Immigration sustains the U.S. population. With a fertility rate of 1.6, the U.S. already relies on immigration to maintain its population, and immigration has historically always fueled U.S. growth.
• Deportations would harm the U.S. economy. Removing 11 million undocumented residents would significantly damage the economy, as there aren’t enough U.S. citizens to replace them.
• Additional social change is inevitable. With low fertility in Europe, future U.S. immigrants will come from developing regions.  Existing citizens will need to adapt to ongoing cultural changes.

To learn more about immigration, explore U.S. Immigration Basics, a free study guide offering simple and unbiased summaries of complex topics.  For more information, visit BasicStudyGuides.com! 

References:

1. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/13/world/asia/birth-rate-fertility-policy-japan.html?unlocked_article_code=1.SE4.1R6a.BvGpscFLjE30&smid=url-share
2. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/07/16/world/world-demographics.html?unlocked_article_code=1.TE4.lnSC.RooyM5pDQ96B&smid=url-share
3. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/08/world/asia/china-women-children-abortions.html?unlocked_article_code=1.TE4.Iw4A.ZOZ5vYAn2l_a&smid=url-share

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