In Japan, birthrates are now so low and life expectancy so great that the nation will soon have a demographic profile that matches that of the American retirement community of Palm Springs. “Gradually but relentlessly,” the demographer Nick Eberstadt writes in the latest issue of The Wilson Quarterly, “Japan is evolving into a type of society whose contours and workings have only been contemplated in science fiction.”
Thanks to increasing life expectancy, by 2040 “there could almost be one centenarian on hand to welcome each Japanese newborn.” Over the same period, the overall Japanese population is likely to decline by 20 percent, with grim consequences for an already-stagnant economy and an already-strained safety net.The traditional stigma against having children outside of marriage still exists in Japan, and is cited as one of the contributing factors. Another is the traditional suspicion of immigration.
So....the next time some culture warrior cites the rise of out-of-wedlock children as an example of America's declining moral core, remind him of Japan and the fact that out-of-wedlock children are better for the country than no children.
And keep the immigrants coming.
4 comments:
Interesting conclusion, Gerry. That we should encourage children who will likely have one parent and more potential need for support by others. Also, encourage immigration in order to provide children?
Not advocating anything specific. Just pointing out the inadequacy of viewing social questions strictly through a moralist lens.
Your comment about children of single parents "potentially" needing more outside support is "potentially" invalid. First causes are hard to identify.
You are right, I should have said "statistically" indicated to need more outside support.
Single parents are typically female, 84% of the time. Of those, 34% were never married, 45% are divorced. The remainder are either widowed (small) or remarried.
The poverty rate for female-householder families was 44% in 2009 versus 11% for married couple families (source: childstats.gov).
But, it can be noted that the incidence of single-parent families is increasing, 34% of the children live in one versus 23% in 1980.
Outside support: 22% of the single-parent children receive Medicaid, 23.5% food stamps. I don't have a comparison for two-parent households except the poverty one above.
Bob - You´ve gone to way too much work, but I trust it was satisfying.
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