Yes, there is the matter of kids caring for one in old age, but I question whether many think of that. Some -- myself and few friends -- have said that we would never go below a three bedroom home in case one of our kids became divorced or lost a job. But because I personally didn't look that far ahead, doesn't mean others don't. It is, however, an alien view to me.
There is an "art" in India of manipulating baby limbs to cripple the child to create a more effective beggar. India is also a society that has cultural biases against birth control and is the second most populous country on earth. I would think that people from all political stripes are appalled by the idea of crippling a child to make it a beggar.
pd,
That was one of the main things I had in mind when I said that education raises the percieved costs. Que irony.
Education does raise the cost... of everything. Parents do consider a college education, at least in this area and for the generations currently involved in child-rearing as part of the cost of having a child. I suspect that people having four and five children are confident that they will give the kids these things. Actually, a family I know of with four kids managed to send two of them to Princeton, so maybe these families are economically fortunate. I should say that the final two children of this family were not intended: that the parents were committed to zero population growth.
Ah, so. I took it more to mean that there was some hidden cost to raising children of which the educated were unaware. Doubtless a projection of some sort....
Quote:Yes, there is the matter of kids caring for one in old age, but I question whether many think of that.
I've known many who have -- most of 'em reared before social security existed.
Fire sucks indeed. Still worried about you out there, if only for the horrible air quality. Hope horrible air quality is as bad as it gets, though.
I get what you are saying and basically agree. I was attempting to emphasize that a person who is educated may have more options, period, which is not about perceiving the costs per se. A person who is uneducated may well understand fully the impact that having a child will have on their wallet and job prospects and general well-being, but not have an alternative which is rosier. A person who is educated may also have more options, and having children becomes less important to accomplish things like companionship, social standing, and support in old (or young, as you say) age.
Quote:A person who is educated may also have more options, and having children becomes less important to accomplish things like companionship, social standing, and support in old (or young, as you say) age.
Well, for the next three or four years, anyway. Then the boomers are going to suck this place dry.
Patiodog - you asked ages ago about ethnic composition of immigration to Oz - these are old figures - 1996 - but give some idea:
UK and Ireland:
1947= 72.7% 1996= 28.6%
New Zealand:
1947= 5.9 1996= 7.4
Italy
4.5 6.1
Former Yugoslav Republic
0.8 4.6 (this'd be higher, now)
Vietnam
NA 4.6
Greece
1.7 3.3
China
0.9 2.8 (This would be bigger, now, too)
Germany
2.0 2.8
Philippines
0.0 2.4
Netherlands
0.3 2.2
Malaysia
0.2 2.0
Other countries
11.0 33.8
This last would now include Afghanis, Africans, USA, Indonesians, Indians, Thai, Iranians (lots of Bahai) and so forth.
I think the solution to ZPG is the same solution to every problem. EDUCATION! Also these words that King Donald Trump hates so much. MIGRATION/IMMIGRATION. "The meek shall inherit the Earth." Because the rest of us will go to the stars.
Still it REALLY PISSES me off when I see certain families that are PROUD of having 17, 18, 19, or more children. Yet, INTERROGATORY? 3,100,000 children die each year from poor nutrition. How many dead children does that work out to be? Let's see if my math is up to it. 19 live kids for 3.1 million dead kids equals 163,157.895 dead kids for each live kid. That's a lot of fertilizer! Poor choice of words? Maybe, but if we don't shock these idiots into reality we wouldn't have a reality that real people can live in. I've tried to do this since the 70's. Even to the point of not having any children of my own. We don't need any more Patient 0's, or canon fodder, or fertilizer.
