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Great list, but there's a couple of important missing pieces: 6. Changing norms have greatly increased what is expected of a parent raising a child. Ignoring
by somethingorothr 9y ago
Great list, but there's a couple of important missing pieces:
6. Changing norms have greatly increased what is expected of a parent raising a child. Ignoring external cost increases, this has profoundly increased the cost and time investment to having a child.
7. Economic changes (e.g. 30 years of wage stagnation) all but force a family with both parents working, meaning parents have to work, and then thanks to #6, also do more at home.
So parents are expected to do far more with far less, with no support from family, community, or society.
- program_whiz 9y agoGreat points! There's also something about the isolation most modern adults feel. Look around at all primitive humans and apes, not a lot of singles and couples raising children. Think it would be a lot easier if it was less "you vs the world, oh and raise these kids" feeling to it.
- chillacy 9y agoThere were definitely large swaths of history where having kids was a net economic gain (they could work the fields, help with chores, etc).