(C) Motherhood and the Future, II

Continuation of a two-part post I started over a week ago. A provacatie perspective about women and declining worldwide birthrates and what those mean for the future.

Newsweek columnist Robert J. Samuelson notes, among other things that the American fertility is roughly at the replacement rate, 2.1 children per woman. What explains the fact that American birthrates are higher than most other developed countries?

At work are cultural forces of greater optimism, greater patriotism and stronger religious values. People in the USA are generally happier about life, it seems.

A survey by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago asked respondents in 33 countries to react to this statement: "I would rather be a citizen of [my country] than of any other." Among Americans, 75 percent "strongly" agreed; among Germans, the French and Spanish, comparable responses were 21 percent, 34 percent and 21 percent, respectively.

Children are now usually a conscious choice—whereas they were once considered economic necessities or religious obligations.

...generous welfare states may discourage having children. A study by economists at the University of Minnesota found that high Social Security payments and payroll taxes are associated with low fertility rates. People may feel they don't need children to care for them in old age. Or high taxes and poor economies may deter young people from starting families.

Samuelson points out that "by not having children, people are voting against the future—their countries' and, perhaps, their own."

It is easy to imagine the sacrifices and disappointments of raising children. It is hard, try as people might, to imagine the intense joys and selfish pleasures. People ignore Adam Smith's keen insight: "[The] chief part of human happiness arises from the consciousness of being beloved."

This was a good article, and I concur with the writer's conclusion. Kids, while being expensive and life-altering in their impact, are worth every bit of the sacrifice and effort. I cannot imagine my life without six children.