Declining Birth Rates: From Japan to the United States
On both sides of the Pacific, there has been an overall decline in birth rate.
The birth rate in Japan continues to decline year-on-year, while the overall population continues to rise due to immigration. According to the CIA World Factbook of 2017, Japan is ranked 2nd for highest median age (47.3). As of October 2016 (mercatornet.com) Japan’s birth rate fell below 1 million for the first time since 1899, while there were 1.3 million people that died the same year. If the declining birth rate continues to drop, Eric Johnston from JapanTimes states that, “896 cities, towns and villages throughout japan are facing extinction by 2040.”
Now, the problem seems to spread across the sea, as millennials in the U.S. refuse to have kids as well.
What is the problem with the population decline? Why do the local residents in either countries refuse to have kids?
A Graph from Osaka university (Slide 4) shows a result of a survey as to why Japanese citizens consider not to marry or to have children. The chart is separated by genders. Translated, it looks like this:
Either genders have the belief that being single means that they will have more freedom for hobbies and meeting with friends etc.
Another factor Osaka university points out is the progression of women in the workforce. The prominent answer on the female side is due to the fact that more females are now in the workforce with higher wages. This complements the other top answers, as they believe that it’s more convenient to focus on their work when they don’t have to worry about taking care of anyone else.
Below are some explanations from the survey as to why fewer Japanese people are considering marriage, or having kids.
Taking the subject matter from Japan to the United States, online articles from Rooster and Healthyway gives us some insight as to why some people in the U.S. might not consider having kids. Both articles had similar reasons, such as:
1. The fear of raising kids in a bleak future.
2. Financial problems.
3. Fear of ruining their children with terrible parenting.
4. More people wanting to pursue their goals in life. (College/Work)
5. Fear of commitment of marriage/having kids.
Mary Sauer from Healthyway also mentioned the current position women are in, similar to the survey data seen from Osaka University. (Ex: Women are under less pressure and have more options, etc.)
According to Asia matters for America it is possible that millennials across the pacific have similar negative connotation towards having children too early. California has the highest Japanese population in the United States. To see if there are any correlation with the given data, we take a look at California’s birth rate and overall population, courtesy of the California Department of Finance:
While there might not be a direct correlation between Japanese people directly affecting U.S millennials, it’s important to consider that there is a possibility that the decline in birthrate might affect the environment you live in as well.
