The reduction isn't because of lack of subsidies, but simply a change in needs and wants. People no longer want to have 4-5 kids, no matter if you 10x the paid

The reduction isn't because of lack of subsidies, but simply a change in needs and wants. People no longer want to have 4-5 kids, no matter if you 10x the paid time off or double the subsidies. This too empirically. And no, actually. Your "LOL" aside, we actually are. Anyone who takes time off for child raising gets a bump literally forever. So yes, actually. I'm not saying fully compensated, obviously. But people do it or don't do it based on if they want, not the money (given a basic level of comp, which we are waaaay beyond). To increase birth rates we have to start paying people who DON'T want to have children, to do it. Like wow, how much would you have to pay people who would only do it for money? One million in cash just day one? Just the physical toll for the parent is huge. And statistically rate of happiness goes down during thirties for people who have children. And then on top of that your idea is to have people who don't want children raise them? I'm not betting on this improving quality of life for the child, if the child is just a paycheck. So we really want people who have children no actually want to, too.