Latest news with #childbearing
South China Morning Post
7 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
AI is worsening China's population decline. But is it all bad news?
For 32-year-old Tracy Li, marriage and childbearing have never been essential life choices. Instead of following the traditional path of starting a family like most of her elders, the human resources manager at a Beijing-based company prefers the solitary life. She is not alone. A survey of around 3,000 urban residents in October 2021 found that nearly 44 per cent of unmarried women aged 18 to 26 either had no intention of getting married or were unsure if it would happen. 'The cost of giving birth is apparently too high for women, which is leading to a low birth rate in contemporary society,' Li said, referring to child care and educational spending, as well as the time and energy required to raise a family. Thanks to technological advancements, her determination and confidence to embrace the challenges of staying single have grown stronger. As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to progress, Li believes it will eventually fulfil needs like emotional companionship and elderly care – traditionally provided in Chinese society through marriage and children. 'AI can already provide emotional companionship. In another 20 to 30 years, by the time my generation is old, I believe that household robots for taking care of the elderly will be widely available and affordable,' she said. 'I am now hoping that the development of caregiving robots will accelerate.' AI is widely blamed for worsening China's population decline by reducing incentives for marriage and childbearing, as it replaces human roles such as providing emotional companionship and taking care of the elderly.
New York Times
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Watching South Korean TV Won't Make You Want to Have a Baby
South Korea is in the midst of a childbearing catastrophe. Birthrates are dropping below replacement level all over the world, including in the United States, and South Korea has the world's lowest fertility rate, with only 0.75 children born for every woman of childbearing age. (Replacement level is considered 2.1 births per woman.) As a result, if the trend continues, South Korea's population is expected to decline by half by the end of this century. Why are South Koreans so reluctant to have children? There are the usual explanations: a high cost of living, young people delaying marriage and the stubbornly patriarchal nature of South Korean society — a problem so persistent that it sparked the feminist 4B movement, which contends that women should forgo four activities: dating men, having sex with men, marrying men and having kids. (The Korean prefix that denotes negation is pronounced 'bee.') If you want to understand how these factors play out in the experience of South Korean women, look to the plots of the most popular K-dramas on TV. The K-drama business is one of the few industries in South Korea where women dominate; according to a 2018 estimate, 90 percent of K-drama writers are women. The popularity of these shows, in part because of their global distribution on Netflix, has given South Korean women a potent venue to tell their stories, and many of these stories can rightly be heard as a cry for help. On paper, the rights afforded new and expecting mothers in South Korea can sound positively Scandinavian in their generosity — including up to three years of combined paid parental leave and generous government baby bonuses. And the country, which fully shed authoritarian rule only in 1987, is enjoying a period of prosperity and cultural influence. South Korea has the world's most popular boy and girl bands, the world's second-biggest cosmetics export industry and a thriving cultural sector that has produced an Academy Award for best picture ('Parasite') and one of Netflix's most popular shows ('Squid Game'). But women's advancement has been sporadic and unequal, and in practice, few of the benefits ensconced in the law have shifted the country's deeply held beliefs about the pressures and demands of parenthood. Many South Koreans believe parental leave is for wimps. The Korea Herald reported that mothers still have a hard time re-entering the work force and that 'many of the women residing in Seoul whose careers have been interrupted by family-related issues tend to sustain a job for less than two years after returning to work.' Population collapse is largely a first-world problem. But as the most popular Korean dramas are desperately trying to tell us, you can't fix a first-world problem when crucial areas of your society are still stuck in an outdated mentality about gender roles. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Wall Street Journal
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Irony on the Editorial Pages
I found it ironic that Leonard Lopoo's April 30 op-ed 'How to Make American Babies Again' was next to Starlee Coleman's 'High Court Could Crush Charter Schools,' which described at least one part of our fertility crisis: that our public-school system is a failure, as parents have to pay thousands of dollars to give a child a reasonable and safe education. To further turn the knife, two days later in his op-ed 'You Won't Believe the Tax Breaks for Professors,' Prof. Steven Davidoff Solomon described the education assistance that elite faculty enjoy. If ever we've constructed a disincentive for childbearing, our education system is it. Rebecca Whitworth
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
6 Things Moms Want President Trump To Do To Make Child Care More Affordable
The Trump administration has been vocal about wanting couples to have more children. On Jan. 24, at the annual anti-abortion rally and march March for Life, JD Vance proclaimed, 'I want more babies in the United States of America.' President Donald Trump, pointing to the birth decline in the U.S, has said he wants to be the 'fertilization president.' Find Out: Read Next: Though men across the U.S. are raising kids, sometimes as single parents or with male partners, the act of childbearing falls exclusively on those with reproductive organs, and though not always, those people are predominantly cis women. And it's these women that the Trump administration, which has implemented executive orders to roll back the rights of transgender people, seems to be primarily addressing when they express their wishes for more American children. We know this because they're trying to find ways to incentivize women to have kids. One potential incentive Trump is mulling over is a $5,000 cash bonus to first-time mothers. It's money that would possibly make a difference to a lot of prospective mothers. Many U.S. moms — including those with health insurance — accrue medical debt from giving birth alone. Then there's the fact that the projected annual cost to raise a child born in 2025 is $29,419, according to a recent study by LendingTree — an increase of 25.3% since Lending Tree's 2024 study and up 35.7% since its 2023 study. This all leads us to ask what do mothers really want to see Trump do, not only to maybe incentivize other women to become mothers, but to help those already in the role of Mom to struggle less financially? Making child care more affordable is critical. Here's what they're hoping for — and they're not unrealistic measures. Liang Zhao, CEO at Vansary and a working mom to a 3 1/2-year-old daughter, returned to work days after giving birth because, as a sole proprietor at the time, paid leave wasn't an option. 'I know firsthand how the lack of affordable child care creates barriers for mothers and for economic growth,' Zhao told GOBankingRates. Zhao wants to see the Trump administration expand tax credits to support not nontraditional care models. 'A number of families rely on patchwork solutions these days — from nanny shares, part-time caregivers or child care at the gym even,' Zhao said. 'A more inclusive and increased amount for child and dependent care tax credit that covers expanded models would bring more relief without forcing parents into cookie cutter options.' Learn More: Currently, the U.S. does not have enough child care centers to accommodate demand. If the Trump administration wants to see more kids, it must provide more care centers for them to thrive. This means investing in child care center infrastructure. 'Just as roads, buildings, bridges and internet access create the infrastructure for a city to support communities, so does reliable child care,' Zhao said. 'Policies that support cities and communities in building care centers and job growth in this area would be a step in providing the support mothers/ parents need.' Some employers provide on-site child care, but these are few and far between. Incentivizing employers to provide on-site child care to its employees with children would be a tremendous step forward. 'A number of other countries subsidize companies to build on-site care centers, which boosts workplace participation, particularly amongst women,' Zhao said. 'A side effect of this type of policy could foster a culture where working parents are destigmatized.' On a related note, the Trump administration could also accommodate mothers by incentivizing companies to make remote work a standardized option. 'The truth is that, while most moms still want to pursue their careers, they are also not willing to completely give up their active roles as caregivers,' said Aaron Razon, personal finance expert at Coupon Snake. 'They want to have enough flexibility at work to allow them to be present at school events, doctor appointments, and other important milestones in their children's lives, without having to choose between their jobs and their families, and flexible work arrangements can help mothers achieve this harmonious balance.' Many couples opt to have one parent stay at home/not work while the other brings in a steady income. Stay-at-home parents need support, too. 'Moms want to see President Trump provide resources for stay-at-home parents and caregivers, like mental health support, parenting classes and respite care, because the truth is that staying home to care for children, though quite rewarding, can take a physical and emotional toll on parents and caregivers, affecting not only their mental health and relationships but also their overall quality of life,' Razon said. 'By providing resources to stay-at-home parents and caregivers, President Trump would be helping to alleviate the challenges they face, and making it easier for them to care for their loved ones and themselves more effectively.' Last but not least (if not most important) moms want to see federally sponsored parental leave policy. 'Parents in the U.S. need paid leave!' Zhao said. And this goes for self-employed/freelancing parents, too. More From GOBankingRates 6 Used Luxury SUVs That Are a Good Investment for Retirees How Far $750K Plus Social Security Goes in Retirement in Every US Region 7 Overpriced Grocery Items Frugal People Should Quit Buying in 2025 12 SUVs With the Most Reliable Engines Sources Liang Zhao, Vansary Aaron Razon, CouponSnake This article originally appeared on 6 Things Moms Want President Trump To Do To Make Child Care More Affordable Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Perspective: Motherhood is the greatest power in the world
On a recent hunt for the right Mother's Day card, one of us rifled through dozens that lined the store shelf. The words were sweet, even beautiful, sometimes inspiring. But something became strikingly apparent. No card could ever adequately capture the meaning and experience of motherhood. From the moment of conception, the blood and bones of a mother's body will build the blood, bones, heart, brain, and body of another life. When that soul emerges from her womb, he or she will look for her, knowing her smell, her voice, her heartbeat. That mother will carry the cells of that infant in her body for, perhaps, the rest of her life, the living witness of a connection she cannot deny – as if part of her own heart is walking around outside of her. But her motherhood involves far more than giving birth. This offspring will not independently trot off in a few hours, like other mammals. For nearly two decades, she will help this unbelievably dependent human being to survive, develop, and become. This is no light thing. It's no wonder it is hard to figure out how to talk about. It is, unquestioningly, the greatest power in the world – to create and enable another life. And it is also unquestioningly, an unparalleled commitment to sacrifice and devote one's self to another. That may be part of why we are experiencing a crisis in childbearing – with the U.S. at an all-time low fertility rate. In many ways, given the current culture, it is understandable. The choice to have children has become almost agonizing. Economic concerns, housing costs, increasing pressures on parents to do more and more to ensure children will be successful, and the sense of doing it all alone in our less tight-knit communities all play a role in the fertility crisis. But more than any of this, there is a fear that having children will be a transition of loss – loss of freedom, loss of identity, loss of economic independence, loss of career opportunities. Derek Thompson of The Atlantic was first to coin the term 'workism' – a description of the importance Americans place on work as a fundamental source of meaning and identity – rather than only something you do to provide. In the current culture, making the decision to have children can feel to women, in particular, like deciding to give up your identity, your development, your capacity. I (Emily) spent my twenties pursuing graduate education and building an exciting career. Those years were full of rewarding work, travel, great food, and incredible people. The idea of having kids felt daunting to me. The surrounding culture echoed that sentiment: 'You're young, you have time.' Success was measured in career milestones, not in family relationships. The people celebrated on magazine covers or headlining keynote events weren't lauded for being great mothers or fathers, but for their professional achievements. That message doesn't go unnoticed—especially by young women. Still, my father's words of caution stayed with me. He had grown up in the railroad towns of Northern California, confident he didn't want to get married or have kids. But he changed course, married in his late thirties, and had me. Later in life, he confessed that his greatest regret was not starting a family earlier and having more children. That stuck with me—if someone so sure he didn't want kids could grow to regret that decision, maybe I should learn from his experience. At 33, my husband and I had our first child. The newborn phase was hard — grueling, really. The stress, the sleeplessness, the feeding issues — it was overwhelming. Any casual observer — or even a skilled academic — might have assumed I was miserable. In those moments, I didn't have the freedom to go out to dinner, binge my favorite show, hit the gym, spend time with friends, or work late on an interesting project. And yet, for the first time in my life, I felt something I had never experienced so powerfully: meaning. It was the great paradox. I had given up things. I had lost some things. And yet, somehow in the midst of the 'giving up,' I had found a level of connection, purpose, and meaning I had never known. It filled me. I realize now my story is far from unique. Recently, the Wheatley Institute and Institute for Family Studies surveyed 3,000 women across the United States, hoping to get a better picture of what is going on with women – and mothers, in particular. Given the current cultural narrative, one would never expect what emerged – though it is consistent with other findings. Yes, mothers of children at home reported being more overwhelmed and exhausted at the end of the day than women without children. They were also more likely to say they wished they had more time for themselves, and to report that they often sacrificed their own needs and desires to benefit someone else. Yet in the middle of the exhaustion and sacrifice, married mothers with children were nearly twice as likely than other women to say they were 'very happy.' They were also significantly more likely to say that life was enjoyable most or all of the time. A forthcoming report will dive more deeply into the reasons, but a brief look at why showed that mothers with children are much more likely to say that what they are doing is valuable and worthwhile, and that their lives have a clear sense of meaning and purpose. Importantly, marriage shapes and magnifies the experience of motherhood. Unmarried mothers with children in the study still identified more purpose and meaning than childless women, but they were less happy, more stressed, and lonely than married women. Marriage seems to lift the burdens of motherhood, while strengthening the experience of happiness, purpose and meaning in nurturing life. These findings should not surprise us. If there is anything our culture of isolation, diminished mental health and loneliness has taught us, it is that we are designed for deep connection. I (Jenet) recently sat beside a new mother as her infant, just 6 weeks old, was still struggling to breast and bottle feed. His utter dependence struck me. In the midst of this baby's discomfort, he opened his eyes and gazed directly into his mother's face, locking his eyes on hers. It was clear that he recognized her. She was his entire world. For a second, his mouth broke into a smile and I watched her exhaustion give way to radiance. How could any of us measure what it means to the expansion of our own purpose, meaning and identity, to bring another life into being and to be another's entire world? How could we measure the privilege of knowing and witnessing so intimately the soul of another, and making possible their existence and thriving? In doing so, we enter eternity, becoming part of the past and the future forever. It's no wonder marriage and motherhood are powerful catalysts of happiness and purpose. That's not a message we often hear, but it is real. Mother's Day gives us the opportunity to honor and express gratitude to the women who gave us life and nurtured our development. But it also gives us the opportunity to honor the privilege of experiencing the greatest power on earth — creation, nurturing, and growth — for those we love, and in ourselves.
