An international thing (at least in the developed world).
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What makes a baby bust so hard to fight is that its effects compound over the generations. Fewer births in one generation lead to fewer women in the next generation to give birth. A smaller population may put less stress on the environment, but an upside-down population pyramid leaves too few working young people to support the retired elderly.
The politically preferred solution to a low birthrate is simply to raise the rate. But pronatalist policies such as bonuses for having babies, free child care and so on haven’t met expectations where they’ve been tried. If policymakers can’t get birthrates up, they will be left with an unappetizing set of choices: raise taxes, raise the retirement age, cut retirement and health care benefits for older adults or increase immigration.
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