Causes and Effects of Birth Rate Reduction in Developed Countries

The fertility rate in most develop countries has decreased compared to 1960’s fertility rate. However the the decrease has variability between many developed countries. The cause of these decline is complex in nature. However, medical technology is one factor contributed to this decline as women had access to contraception and they have the preference to control their fertility if they decide to do so given their circumstances. The demographers explanation was that the women participation in labor force and educational opportunities gave them ample opportunity to postpone fertility and there fore contributed to the decline in fertility. That is the traditional family and the role of women changed due to these changes and there fore they tended to have small families and this contributed to decrease in fertility. However, recent studies and statistics from the developed world shows that the fertility rates are much lower in countries where traditional family values are more popular than in countries they play a minor role. This shows that the decrease in fertility rate in many countries are not due to family values but because of economic and other labor market issues and institutional factors which is the one which can account for the current reversal of fertility rates in many countries and the variability of fertility rates in these countries.

Many empirical evidence gathered by Universities and By United Nation bodies indicate that the birthrate reduction is becoming reversed in some western countries and in some they lag behind the sustainable birth rate which contribute to aging of the population as in Western countries the death rate is becoming low due to medical advancement in particular. The statistics on birth rate also shows that labour rate participation in some countries are positively correlated but in others they are negatively correlated. This may be due to the labor market policies for women as well as the labour market conditions for women workers and the role of market in determining wages as well as public sector employment provision as well as child care facilities and benefits of maternity leave provisions and part-time work availability and skill of women workers and the contractual arrangements of women work.In additions the rate of unemployment and social secuiryt system also to some externt determine the birthrate in most of the developed world.

As mentioned above the currrent causes of birthrate reduction is very complex and ther is evidence of labor market policies and institutional factors may be at work in current reversal of birth rate reduction. That is, if the international evidence on birth rate is considered to formulate polices if the labor market policies are encouraging women to juggle famility and work and employment conditions and work arrangements as well as part-tome work availability as well as public sector employment opportunities as well as child care facilities and maternity benefits can be a useful policy mix to cobat historically decling birth rate and its negative economic,, social and political consequences.