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Tax reductions are set against the payments though, so only really well earning parents actually benefit from them. I suspect the reasons are more social ones.
by mduerksen 10y ago
Tax reductions are set against the payments though, so only really well earning parents actually benefit from them.
I suspect the reasons are more social ones. Examples:
Having children is not being valued highly, having a career is. Imagine a woman proudly announcing to some gala aquaintances that she has 4 children. In a lot of countries, this would be the norm. In Germany, the woman would be deemed low-class.
Lack of family cohesion, thus as a parent, you are on your own. Compare this to the luxury of letting the grandparents take care of the kids multiple times a week/month.
Consumerism. A German thinks he has to have it all. Kids are percieved as a threat to that. We are very good at making our own lives miserable by not valuing family and friends over having the newest car/stereo/boat.
Perfectionsm. Parents think they have to get everything right and only the best things for their kids (again, THINGS). And the society thinks the same - a mother should be perfectly dressed, handling her two perfectly dressed kids with ease and loving devotion 24/7, never just let them play on their own but instead already teaching them latin. AND of course, having a stellar career AND a slender waist at the same time.
- Certhas 10y agoI agree to some extend, but I don't think this explains the low birth rate compared to other very similar countries like France, the UK or the US, where many of the things you describe apply equally or in greater measure. An aspect that seems more uniquely German is looking down on mothers that give their child to daycare "too early", meaning, before it's 3 years old. Anecdotally from conversations with friends in their mid late twenties, early thirties, the idea that you have to justify yourself as a woman, or somehow fail as a mother, if you start working again too soon is still very prominent.
- y4mi 10y ago> Having children is not being valued highly, having a career is. Imagine a woman proudly announcing to some gala aquaintances that she has 4 children. In a lot of countries, this would be the norm. In Germany, the woman would be deemed low-class. i was amazed reading this. there are nations where the natives are proud of beeing breeders? while its not something to be ashamed of, it most certainly not something you should be proud of either...
- mduerksen 10y agoWell, you cannot reduce motherhood to the simple fact that a birth has taken place. That is why it would be pretty offensive to characterize a mother as such. A woman that has given birth almost certainly has also taken care of the child(ren) for many years, which shows, at least, the ability to: - master a high responsibility job - take on a huge workload - constantly juggle multiple tasks at once - typically work overtime - keeping team morale up despite competing needs - setting goals for the further development of each team member, and keeping a steady eye on the progress that is being made Sounds like a management job, does it not? Not to mention the extreme commitment towards everything that accompanies the pregnancy and delivery itself, including, amongst others: - pain and nausea - heavy reconfiguration of the body - strech marks and/or genital wounds - risk of losing the child - risk of having a ill or impaired child - risk of dying - risk of losing the man and being on your own with all the aforementioned tasks Yes, a woman with decent kids can most certainly be proud of herself.
- wongarsu 10y ago>There are nations where the natives are proud of beeing breeders? In Israel the average woman has 3 children, and having 3-4 children is expected as the norm in the middle class.