Register to read the introduction…
What are the implications on our ecosystem when the population increases? Do we have enough resources to sustain an exponentially growing world population thinking 100 years into the future? How does China enforce their one (or now two) child policy? How can governments try to reduce fertility rates without going the route of China’s one (or two) child policy?
A new study of fertility in Germany shows that the birth rate in the country continues to be low, but not because of the commonly cited reasons of the expense of raising a child or the lack of space in kindergartens.
The number remains sobering: 1.36 are born on average for every German woman. The cliche of a well-educated, but single and childless woman is still a common scenario. The question of why the birth rate in Germany is so low was posed by the Federal Institute for Population Research in a new study.
The institute examined the emotional state of Germans as well as data gathered by researching families. What is clear from the results is that not only money and availability of a place in a kindergarten are important factors. The societal climate is also …show more content…
In the west, 63% said a little child probably suffers when its mother works, while in the eastern states 36% agreed that was true.
There are historical reasons that explain the difference. Under communism in the German Democratic Republic women in the workforce and children in preschool were part of ordinary life more so than in West Germany.
Many Germans do not consider having a child an enriching experience, the study showed. Not even half of the childless women between 18 and 50-years-old thought that having a child within the next three years would improve their lives.
Among fathers with children under 18-years-old, 88% said it is not easy to reconcile family and work. Among women it was 78%.
Germany's birthrate is among the lowest in Europe and nowhere else in the world do women reject motherhood as entirely as in Germany. Fear of excessive demands play a role, said Juergen Dorbritz, director of science at the Wiesbaden
A new study of fertility in Germany shows that the birth rate in the country continues to be low, but not because of the commonly cited reasons of the expense of raising a child or the lack of space in kindergartens.
The number remains sobering: 1.36 are born on average for every German woman. The cliche of a well-educated, but single and childless woman is still a common scenario. The question of why the birth rate in Germany is so low was posed by the Federal Institute for Population Research in a new study.
The institute examined the emotional state of Germans as well as data gathered by researching families. What is clear from the results is that not only money and availability of a place in a kindergarten are important factors. The societal climate is also …show more content…
In the west, 63% said a little child probably suffers when its mother works, while in the eastern states 36% agreed that was true.
There are historical reasons that explain the difference. Under communism in the German Democratic Republic women in the workforce and children in preschool were part of ordinary life more so than in West Germany.
Many Germans do not consider having a child an enriching experience, the study showed. Not even half of the childless women between 18 and 50-years-old thought that having a child within the next three years would improve their lives.
Among fathers with children under 18-years-old, 88% said it is not easy to reconcile family and work. Among women it was 78%.
Germany's birthrate is among the lowest in Europe and nowhere else in the world do women reject motherhood as entirely as in Germany. Fear of excessive demands play a role, said Juergen Dorbritz, director of science at the Wiesbaden