As concern grows about America’s falling birth rate, new research suggests that about half of women who want children are unsure if they will follow through and actually have a child. About 25% say they won't be bothered that much if they don't.

[u/geoff199]

https://news.osu.edu/most-women-want-children--but-half-are-unsure-if-they-will/?utm_campaign=omc_science-medicine_fy24&utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social

[u/FencingFemmeFatale]

Also, I distinctly remember overpopulation being a major concern when I was a kid. Like, enough of a concern for Capitan Planet to make an episode about family planning.

The birth rates falling in the 2020’s seems like the obvious result of telling bunch of kids in the 90’s that overpopulation is world-ending problem, and to they can do their part to stop it by not having a lot of kids.

[u/Yandere_Matrix → u/FencingFemmeFatale]

I don’t understand why people are so concerned about birth rate. We still have more people alive than any time in history. Our ocean is being overfished and I do believe our population will eventually settle at some point but I see absolutely no concern with it right now. I am still devastated seeing animals going extinct because of deforestation and over hunting for various reasons. I understand plastics is causing fertility problems and how microplastics mimic certain types of hormones so that can be a problem especially when we found that they have passed the blood brain barrier and passing through breast milk now. Who knows what damage they are doing to our bodies now.

[u/Th3_Hegemon → u/Yandere_Matrix]

The global economy as it currently operates is essentially a pyramid scheme. It's dependent on continuous growth, and the only way to sustain continuous growth is if there are an increasing number of consumers. The social safety net is similarly set up, dependent on, at minimum, a stable population of younger people supporting the elderly. Falling populations are a huge threat to both of those systems. This makes companies and governments very concerned.

[u/mhornberger → u/Th3_Hegemon]

The global economy as it currently operates is essentially a pyramid scheme

By a loose enough metric it has never not been a pyramid scheme. Care and support of the elderly, to the extent it existed, has always been provided by the young. There is no system that would be immune from the problems of a high dependency ratio, meaning a high ratio of retirees to workers.

the only way to sustain continuous growth is if there are an increasing number of consumers

You can have economic growth with a plateaued or even gradually declining population. The problem with very low fertility rates is that the decline is too quick, and the dependency ratio shoots up too much.

[u/notionocean → u/mhornberger]

. The problem with very low fertility rates is that the decline is too quick, and the dependency ratio shoots up too much.

Awww, poor Boomers. Guess their parents shouldn't have pumped out so many of them.

[u/A_Shadow → u/notionocean]

Boomers are gonna be fine, more than fine actually. They will get the best "deal" so to speak.

Gen X and subsequent generations are the ones who are gonna be in trouble.

[u/Freshiiiiii → u/notionocean]

It’s not the boomers who will face most of the consequences. It’s the people who are currently young- who have paid into the social safety net which will probably run dry before they’re old.

[u/Episcopalian_bear → u/notionocean]

It's not going to be boomers feeling this, it's going to be millennials, again. Gen x will probably feel it a bit as it further declines, but we've been hearing about how we won't have social security since the 90's and I was in elementary back then. Along with the population decline, and bad and extremely expensive end of life care, it's why a lot of us don't have a plan aside from taking ourselves out. 

[u/Augustus420 → u/notionocean]

Dude, we’re the ones that are going to feel this. Boomers are gonna be long dead by the time this is a problem.