23 percent of German men say “zero” is the ideal family size.

Last week, the New York Times ran a piece on the dire demographic problems facing Germany. The short version: Germans aren’t having enough kids, and as a result the economy is in trouble and there are all sorts of logistical problems—vacant buildings that need to be razed; houses that will never be sold, sewer systems which may not function properly because they’re too empty. If you want to read the long version, I write pretty extensively about Germany’s problems in What to Expect When No One’s Expecting. (Now available in hardcover, Kindle, and audiobook!)

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I’m not selling anything myself. (Except a book—pick up your copy of What to Expect When No One’s Expecting today!) But I’d suggest that when it comes to demographics and falling fertility rates there are no easy answers. If you want to understand how truly deep Germany’s problems run, consider this:

In 2005, Europe did a Population Policy Acceptance Study [ http://www.bosch-stiftung.de/content/language1/downloads/ppas_en.pdf ]

which looked at a broad range of demographic indicators. One of these indicators was “ideal fertility”—that is, how many kids an individual thought was the ideal number.

Twenty-three percent of German men—that’s not a typo, 23 percent—said that “zero” was the ideal family size. There probably aren’t public policy solutions to a cultural worldview like that.

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Permalink Reply by suzie on August 21, 2013 at 5:43pm

People have been busy ... Way too busy to have babies, women were liberated from the dis -ease of pregnancy, given permission by law to TERMINATE the "condition" and sent straight away to work so they could give most of there money to the government .. "Lovely " they have forgotten how to cook, sew, basic homemaking and remedies for illness. Mothers have the most important job in the universe and millions and millions of woman were freed from the chains of that horrible status by the establishment ... Are breathing a sigh of relief ? Hmmmmmm
In a time in the future when woman start to think " maybe we should start reproducing, you know even animals have an instinct to procreate and make more of what they are, unfortunately for the woman of the future they may be UNABLE TO REPRODUCE because of things the " elite scum bags" have put in the water, food, and air will have made woman infertile and men more like woman the lines so blurred people will only have a faint memory of a civilization of passionate, fierce, men and woman who had an absolute purpose and knew who they were ...
Oh well .. That's what happens when stupidity is elevated in a world full of demonic greedy businessmen who care more about the bottom line profit than the quality of the lives of all there "suckers "
So far its not too late yet!!! But we are running out of time ..

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Permalink Reply by ew_keane on August 22, 2013 at 1:23am

Geman men, under the decadent propaganda of the west, has made german men pitiful indeed, how could propagnda short circuit such a natural function?

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Permalink Reply by Nobody Will Observe on August 22, 2013 at 3:03am

Cum shot!

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Permalink Reply by Velko Mirja on August 22, 2013 at 12:02pm

Interesting claim, and I'm not surprised to say the least. Immigration in Germany is really high, and their numbers in fertility are incomparable to ethnic Germans. Immigrant families are outdoing ethnic Germans families by around 5 children (minimum) per household, compared to the 1 or "maybe" 2 children in a German house.

I believe demographics need to be taken into account, in terms of culture differences. Most of Europe has evolved into a time where women having the same freedoms as men (sometimes even more) is a norm, Europeans women are being "encouraged" to be independent and individualists ie; corporatists, careerists, or in other words exchanged her role as the [gatherer] and make her the [hunter]. All in all this is the set up of family breakdown in society. While the majority of immigrants who reside in Germany come from nations where freedom for women is unheard of and are still treated as baby-making mechanisms.

Check this link out;

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20222752

considering the demographical mention above, whose to really benefit here?

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Permalink Reply by Tara on August 22, 2013 at 12:29pm

Hmm... having children is a choice every family has to make and sometimes the choice is made for you and it has more to do with economics than anything.

There's nothing wrong with a woman who wants to have a career, a voice and say in society along with having a family. We are not just 'baby makers' and I take offense to that way of thinking. In the US, do we want to go back to a time when woman didn't even have a right to vote or their opinion didn't matter? Just keep making babies and shut the F up??? I for one do not want to go back to that time.

Like with most things in life, we must find a happy balance in everything.

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Permalink Reply by Velko Mirja on August 22, 2013 at 4:06pm

Economics matters only for a certain demographic, notice in poverty stricken countries their cultures revolve around big families/multiple children. In many countries today, ie; African and the middle east, women have no freedom and are seen as what I said ; baby making mechanisms. I don't agree with this, all I am pointing out is the dramatic differences in mentality/culture being mixed into one-pot (consequently in Europe).

The "economic" argument doesn't work here, while most ethnic Germans are self reliant and do not depend on the Government for survival they are still having 1 or 2 kids, while poverty stricken areas in Germany which tend to hold immigrants from third-world nations have minimum 5 kids per house-hold, often up to 9, and they get government aid for each child.

hmmmm ... indeed.