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Educated women is the reason usually put forward - once women are educated they find more interesting things to do than have a lot of kids [1] [1] https://wol.

Educated women is the reason usually put forward - once women are educated they find more interesting things to do than have a lot of kids [1] [1] https://wol.iza.org/uploads/articles/228/pdfs/female-education-and-its-impact-on-fertility.pdf https://wol.iza.org/uploads/articles/228/pdfs/female-educati... [pdf]

it 6y ago
Kids used to be allies of their parents; now they are adversaries. If you are sitting at a computer all day, your kids will probably annoy you unless they are watching cartoons. On a farm or in a hunter-gatherer setting, your kids can learn by watching you and they can help in more useful ways over time.
- searchableguy 6y ago
  Do you have kids?
  - it 6y ago
    No, but my roommate has a five year old daughter and my girlfriend has a five year old son. I have plenty of evidence for what I’m saying.
    - searchableguy 6y ago
      I think you are expecting too much from 5 year olds if you think they can go hunting by seeing their parents given their motor skills. On the other hand, depending on what you are doing on the computer. They can learn it by watching you unless you are doing something very complex which most people using their pcs or devices don't. It's not hard for them to learn to comment on HN. And two anecdotes isn't plenty of evidence. I can provide more contrary to yours.
      - it 6y ago
        I'm not expecting anything. When my roommate's daughter comes into my room while I'm on the computer, she tries to interact with me a for a little while but loses interest after she finds there is nothing for her to do. When I'm in the garden, I can usually find little things for her to do to help me out, like evening out the soil in a raised bed or putting flower bulbs in a bag. She happily does them and it holds her interest. Part of the difference is that the computer doesn't lend itself to collaboration the way the outdoors does. Part of it is that what I'm doing on the computer is far more obscure than what I'm doing in the garden. If you can provide contrary anecdotes, why don't you? Edit: Maybe a child can't hunt right away, but gathering can certainly be done by a child. For example, this morning my roommate's daughter was up in a tree picking mulberries.
- chadcmulligan 6y ago
  it depends on your focus doesn't it? Like if you're goal is to spend all day at a computer then yes kids are a distraction. Surprisingly a lot of people like spending time with their family, and regard sitting at a computer as a necessity.
luckylion 6y ago
I'd imagine it has more to do with independence than with hobbies. Educated women get jobs that pay well and can do whatever they please, they don't have to rely on a husband and stay at home. IIRC, it's strongly correlated to income (which of course is closely coupled to education), and I'm pretty sure that poor women do not have more children because they're bored or don't know what else to do.

it 6y ago

Kids used to be allies of their parents; now they are adversaries. If you are sitting at a computer all day, your kids will probably annoy you unless they are watching cartoons. On a farm or in a hunter-gatherer setting, your kids can learn by watching you and they can help in more useful ways over time.

searchableguy 6y ago
Do you have kids?
- it 6y ago
  No, but my roommate has a five year old daughter and my girlfriend has a five year old son. I have plenty of evidence for what I’m saying.
  - searchableguy 6y ago
    I think you are expecting too much from 5 year olds if you think they can go hunting by seeing their parents given their motor skills. On the other hand, depending on what you are doing on the computer. They can learn it by watching you unless you are doing something very complex which most people using their pcs or devices don't. It's not hard for them to learn to comment on HN. And two anecdotes isn't plenty of evidence. I can provide more contrary to yours.
    - it 6y ago
      I'm not expecting anything. When my roommate's daughter comes into my room while I'm on the computer, she tries to interact with me a for a little while but loses interest after she finds there is nothing for her to do. When I'm in the garden, I can usually find little things for her to do to help me out, like evening out the soil in a raised bed or putting flower bulbs in a bag. She happily does them and it holds her interest. Part of the difference is that the computer doesn't lend itself to collaboration the way the outdoors does. Part of it is that what I'm doing on the computer is far more obscure than what I'm doing in the garden. If you can provide contrary anecdotes, why don't you? Edit: Maybe a child can't hunt right away, but gathering can certainly be done by a child. For example, this morning my roommate's daughter was up in a tree picking mulberries.
chadcmulligan 6y ago
it depends on your focus doesn't it? Like if you're goal is to spend all day at a computer then yes kids are a distraction. Surprisingly a lot of people like spending time with their family, and regard sitting at a computer as a necessity.

luckylion 6y ago

I'd imagine it has more to do with independence than with hobbies. Educated women get jobs that pay well and can do whatever they please, they don't have to rely on a husband and stay at home. IIRC, it's strongly correlated to income (which of course is closely coupled to education), and I'm pretty sure that poor women do not have more children because they're bored or don't know what else to do.