In this day and age, technological innovations and scientific developments have propelled the world into a state of fantastic economic growth where just about every country is experiencing higher standards of living. This means job opportunities and career advancements alike can be accessed by practically every participant in the economy, including women, who previously have encountered limitations to their professional development—glass ceilings, for example. With this in mind, it is easy to understand why couples, particularly women, often choose to have children at a later age. The reasons are clear, but in my opinion, this trend has several negative effects on society and the family.
First, it is important to acknowledge that a country’s economic mightiness rests with the composition and the size of its workforce. For instance, a country that focuses on growing its manufacturing sector needs to have a sufficient number of skilled workers with a range of skills, such as tooling skills. When a mass number of people in society decide to concentrate their efforts on work, rather than making babies, the immediate impact is a vibrant economy because the number of available workers will automatically rise. However, this is the short-run effect. In the long run, a decline in birth rates over the years will inevitably lead to a shrinking workforce. Indeed, having fewer children over time will ultimately drive down economic activities, as the economy will have to contend with a diminished number of workers.
Moreover, having fewer children creates a world of loneliness, a world where families have fewer members to interact with each other. The number of families with only one child has spiked in recent years. Without other family members to interact with, these only-child children turn to their external environment to satisfy their social needs. For example, an only child would seek to find friends on social media platforms like Facebook, but a child with siblings often does not have a need to do this because their brothers and sisters would keep them socially busy. Indeed, fewer children means more lonely people in society.
In conclusion, while having fewer children can lead to a short-run expansion of human resources, it is clear that in the long run, the impact is just the opposite, as the number of available workers diminishes and as existing workers go into retirement. On top of this negative long-run outcome for the economy, society in general becomes a lonelier place to contend with.