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by saltyoldman 6 days ago
In the united states the birthrate problem is largely climate change panic (which is not a reason to not have kids because other populations / immigrants start accelerating their birth rates), and then because of heavy migration and other market factors, home prices have skyrocketed. Many couples don't want to have kids until they at least buy their "starter house".

I'm not very familiar with Japan's problems, but I think it's different. I think it has more to do with some kind of never growing up adults.
2 comments
armada651 6 days ago
I guess we're ready to blame anything but work hours, no one has time to take care of kids anymore. The correlation between industrialization and falling birth rates has long been established, but it's just shrugged off as a "that's just the way it is" rather than taking a serious look at the 8-hour work day.
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saltyoldman 5 days ago
Well it's true, I've had so many girlfriends that have literally told me they are not sure about bringing more people into this world because there are already too many it's ruining the planet. Institutional brainwashing.
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Schiendelman 5 days ago
What makes you call this "brainwashing"? Fewer kids really does mean less resource use.
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doctorwho42 6 days ago
Well their economy isn't helping; they export a ton because it is more profitable to export than to sell domestically.

Their work culture actually rivals the US for toxicity.

And they dove into the modern technological society fully before anyone other than maybe Korea... Who is also having birth rate problems

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