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Outside high tech solutions, we could just make raising children cheap again. The cost of raising children into adulthood skyrocketed in the last century. No su

by Qem 4y ago

Outside high tech solutions, we could just make raising children cheap again. The cost of raising children into adulthood skyrocketed in the last century. No surprise people gave up on being parents. Just make sure housing is affordable, and subside public daycare, education up to university, and health assistance for would be parents, and a lot of people would proudly step forward.

sim1collins 4y ago
We address this somewhat in the document. It seems the effect affordable childcare has is more limited than one would hope, though it certainly helps! That said, having kids above repopulation rate might not just be about making things affordable. If people don't have a strong reason to have more than two kids, and if kids don't have tactical value like they did when they contributed to the family business (e.g. did farm labor, helped around a household, provided old-age care), then it can be difficult to justify having more than two even if raising kids is totally cost neutral (simply because it's more complicated to have a larger family—more of a logistical and mental burden).
nootropicat 4y ago
How cheap kids are is irrelevant. Population grew much faster when people lived in abject poverty. People empirically don't want kids, full stop. Raising them could be free and tfr would still be below 2. "I can't afford kids" is an excuse used by people who don't want kids but are unable to admit that. You can't actually afford kids if they would be under a real risk of starvation - which is a real risk in North Korea, not any Western country. Don't read me wrong, I'm not saying here having kids is an obligation.
antisthenes 4y ago
Children are expensive because the environment they enter is highly competitive. If you want to make kids cheap, you have to reduce the competition for resources, or increase resource abundance. Neither one is particularly achievable through bureaucratic policy.

by Qem 4y ago

sim1collins 4y ago

We address this somewhat in the document. It seems the effect affordable childcare has is more limited than one would hope, though it certainly helps! That said, having kids above repopulation rate might not just be about making things affordable. If people don't have a strong reason to have more than two kids, and if kids don't have tactical value like they did when they contributed to the family business (e.g. did farm labor, helped around a household, provided old-age care), then it can be difficult to justify having more than two even if raising kids is totally cost neutral (simply because it's more complicated to have a larger family—more of a logistical and mental burden).

nootropicat 4y ago

How cheap kids are is irrelevant. Population grew much faster when people lived in abject poverty. People empirically don't want kids, full stop. Raising them could be free and tfr would still be below 2. "I can't afford kids" is an excuse used by people who don't want kids but are unable to admit that. You can't actually afford kids if they would be under a real risk of starvation - which is a real risk in North Korea, not any Western country. Don't read me wrong, I'm not saying here having kids is an obligation.

antisthenes 4y ago

Children are expensive because the environment they enter is highly competitive. If you want to make kids cheap, you have to reduce the competition for resources, or increase resource abundance. Neither one is particularly achievable through bureaucratic policy.