Well affluent white western families are not having enough children to maintain the numbers of affluent white westerners. But the global problem remains population growth.
This is not surprising, while the west is “affluent” we have gone from a society where one income is sufficient to pay the bills and raise a family, through greater emancipation meaning that the second income which was a “nice to have” quickly became indispensable and finally to a situation where both halves of a couple are holding down multiple jobs in order to pay the bills and make sure the ends do, in fact, meet.
The result is that people are too financially stretched or probably too knackered to have kids and any that do have the spare cash and libido to try probably look on the state of the world and conclude it is in no state to bequeath to the next generation (so don’t bother with the next generation).
The right answer is, of course, to redress the imbalances in society - not for Elon Musk to have 14 kids.
A significant problem for fertility is that many want stuff and prefer their comfort. Having children is a major sacrifice that many feel is too much, rather than an essential part of moving forward. In addition environmental factors work to reduce fertility, sometimes making it harder for willing couples to conceive.
Thats the part I was wondering about, from endocrine disrupting chemicals in our daily lives to information in the “health” world. Cut salt, essential electolite. Cut cholesterol and essential driver of fertility and testosterone. Always wear factor 50 sun screen thus blocking vitamin D production also essential for testosterone production.
TBH more than 30 years ago there was talk of raised environmental oestrogens, with the contraceptive pill under suspicion, though I’ve a feeling there’s more possible sources been recognised since. I’ve mentioned before the work involving Danish army recruits sperm quality.
My daughter feels like that and has a stepson anyway but she is not interested in having babies, prefers the dogs, the big house and cars and american salary. Both her female cousins are not wanting children either and out of 9 grandchildren of my parents, just three of them have children and are all boys. Another One of the boys is only 26 and with a 43year old woman so my sister is quite upset at the fact he may never give her any grandchildren.
We are lucky enough to have a grandson, who certainly wasn’t at all intended, and wouldn’t be here without significant carelessness and a high level of fertility and (un)fortunate timing on the part of his parents.
Dare I mention, at the risk of accusations of a singular problem, that it might have something to do with the habit of many women, and particularly young and otherwise pretty women, in insisting on painting their faces as if preparing for their circus act?
I love women, and, without sleazily making it obvious if I appreciate them, why oh why do so many paint their faces with white clownlike makeup and the deepest of red slashes across the mouth? The wonderful and infectious historian Lucy Worsley is a case in point.
I know the answer has been put forward before ‘it makes us feel better about ourselves’, but why does it? Males are supposed to be the sexual pursuers in nature, women do not need to gild the lily, we are already programmed to breed.
Speaking as one who appreciates female beauty, and thankfully sees it in abundance still without unnecessary urges to procreate, it saddens me to see so many doing their best to make advances unwelcome. Unless they are, of course.
Social Media of course. Influencers curse them.
My middle granddaughter thinks her false eyelashes are wonderful whereas both my wife and I think they are hideous. Fortunately, she is too young to get enormous lips.
I also wonder a little about the body building thing that seems to be going on with increasing numbers of men. I can’t remember a time when I’ve seen so many heavily-muscled males around.
Really? Shows how much I am out of touch then, I thought that was an act, like that other bloke Whatsisname. (It’ll come to me in a bit )
Kids are cruel, as we know, there was a girl at my junior school who was very tall and thin and sported very big lips. Her knickname was Troutmouth. Met here years later and she was really beautiful, perfectly proportioned and obviously much sort after.
There’s slender and there’s emaciated - and models frequently come in the latter category. Which then has a knock on effect on the psyche of young girls who associate emaciated with beauty.
Personally I hate the modern trend towards “microblading” (having inevitably unnatural looking eyebrows tattooed in place).
)