???? Europeans make love, but no babies

2023-08-04 06:00:05

Economic concerns are pushing young Europeans to postpone or forgo parenthood. Declining birth rates are becoming increasingly worrying as Europe’s population ages.

In an experiment conducted in Italy and Norway in 2019 by demography expert Daniele Vignoli, he exposed a total (Total is the quality of being complete, without exception. From an accounting point of view, a …) of 800 pairs to economics-oriented newspaper titles. Its aim was to study how negative media coverage might influence decisions regarding when to become parents, or even whether to become one.

Image d’illustration Pixabay

Although sexually active, some participants shared their own economic difficulties, such as lack of work or access to housing, preventing them from starting a family. Others expressed increasing general concern regarding the state of the world.

Vignoli very clearly concludes that fertility is affected by uncertainty regarding the future. This growing anxiety is leading more and more people in Europe to delay or forgo parenthood. For example, whereas in the 1960s, Italians had on average (The average is a statistical measure characterizing the elements of a set of…) 2.4 children, today they have only 1, 25, below the EU average of 1.53.

Moreover, the average age at which women have their first child in Italy is 31.6, among the highest in Europe. These numbers are below the “replacement level” – the average number of births needed to keep the population size stable in the absence of migration.

Thus, in 2022, more than half of the European population was over 44.4 years old and more than a fifth was over 65 years old. According to Vignoli, aging means not only an increase in the proportion of old people, but also a decrease in the number of young people.

Young people grow up in a world shaken by disruptions ranging from rapid technological change and climate change to air pollution (Air is the mixture of gases that make up the Earth’s atmosphere. It is odorless and… ), the sea (The term sea covers several realities.) and the ground, and geopolitical conflicts between nuclear powers.

Another expert, Dr. Anna Matysiak, who specializes in employment and family dynamics, argues that the increase in automation in the labor market has also contributed to the reduction in fertility in Europe.

Changes in the workplace have significant implications for fertility because they create uncertainty, but the need to retrain and adapt also robs people of time (Time is a concept developed by humans to apprehend the…) that they might devote to the procreation and education of children.

Matysiak and Vignoli believe that the impact of uncertainty on birth rates will only increase in the coming years, especially with the rise of artificial intelligence (Artificial intelligence or cognitive computing is the “research means…) in the workplace. They think couples will need more government support to boost their confidence in starting or growing a family.

According to Matysiak, policies are needed to help people stay in the labor market. This includes better access to counseling and training services. She is also advocating for new rules to protect workers from long working hours and prevent paid work from spilling over into family life.

Vignoli concludes by recalling that demography defines our past, but also determines our future.

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#Europeans #love #babies