I think in the West we would benefit if the default position was that it's shameful and selfish to not have kids. The way our welfare state is set up currently

I think in the West we would benefit if the default position was that it's shameful and selfish to not have kids. The way our welfare state is set up currently is such that we don't pay for our own retirement, but need the generations below us (hopefully a larger generation) to fund our retirement as we did for the generations before us. When we don't have kids the welfare system which we seem to value simply doesn't work anymore and puts increasing pressures on younger generations. And this compounds the low birthrate issue because we now have to raise taxes on younger generations and take out more debt (both public and private) to afford the welfare spending. This high level of taxation and indebtedness increases wealth inequality and makes it harder for young couple to have children. I think we'll work this out the hard way at some point... The West is trying to offset the inevitable with ever increasing levels of immigration but that will only work for so long. Eventually the welfare system will collapse and people will have to have kids if they want to be cared for in their older age. I hope we don't get to that point, but it seems to me people are too nice to shame people for not having kids and are unwillingly cut welfare spending / fund their own retirements. https://www.cbo.gov/publication/58340 https://www.cbo.gov/publication/58340 Not sure what the situation is in South Korea. If people care for their own elderly family / neighbours instead of expecting the state to do it then perhaps a low birth rate is less of an issue. Sure, GDP might not grow, but that's not the end of the world.