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8yr0n t1_jdw9u4f wrote

Reply to comment by Wwize in Germany is overhauling its immigration rules to bolster a rapidly shrinking workforce by yash13

Germans work some of the lowest hours in the world and also have high incomes. It is without a doubt one of the best places in the world to be a lower or middle class worker.

Pay and free time are not the issue causing low birth rates there.

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Wwize t1_jdwajeb wrote

And even that isn't good enough, obviously. Billionaire executives and shareholders need to stop being so greedy and pay their workers more.

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lemonylol t1_jdx2mpv wrote

Yeah but the statistics also show that the more wealth people have the less kids they tend to have, regardless of background.

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moosknauel t1_jefcqiq wrote

Demographic-economic paradox is something prevalent in sociology. YOu can just google it and find a lot with it.

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WealthyMarmot t1_jdx63qt wrote

Given that income and education are inversely correlated to fertility rates, I'm not sure how that would help. There are deeper issues at play.

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TheGreatPiata t1_jdx8x4h wrote

The problem is requiring 2 incomes to survive. If you want people to have more kids, move to a 3 day work week so someone can always be home tending to the house and family.

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turbo-unicorn t1_jdxouge wrote

Not sure if this applies to Germany, but I suspect it's similar. Here in NL, working 4 days a week is quite common. Of course, lower pay, but it's good enough for most things.

Housing is a huge problem, but I suspect the birth rate has more to do with people just wanting to enjoy life more, as kids are quite the burden on a hedonistic life style.

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liljizbaby t1_jdxsswl wrote

Please cite a single country where this happens.

Rich countries have less children then poorer ones. It has nothing to do with incomes, but rather education.

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TheGreatPiata t1_je02xul wrote

You're missing my point.

Because everyone needs 2 incomes to survive, everyone is focused on work and careers instead of home and family. Having only 1 person in a household work isn't ideal because 2 incomes are more stable and it makes one person have all the homemaker responsibilities (and it will likely usually be the woman).

If you move to a 3 day work week, someone should be home most of the time to take care of children and do household chores, women can continue to work and fathers can be more present.

This isn't happening in any countries because no one is attempting it and likely won't for a long time.

The dearth of children is a multifaceted problem but I think the biggest hurdles outside of finding a spouse is the cost (not just money but loss of career advancement) and available free time everyone has. I have 2 kids and it takes an awful lot to see them through those early years.

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