# Addressing the Decline in Birth Rates
Global birth rates are in decline, a trend that governments find alarming. A dwindling population could lead to a host of economic and social issues, but the policy responses have been largely ineffective. Financial incentives for families, like direct payments, tax breaks, and subsidized child care, have been deployed, but with little impact. This reveals a deeper, fundamental issue.
To understand the decline, it's crucial to figure out why couples are having fewer children. The common responses are either a lack of interest or financial constraints. While we should respect the choice not to have children, it's the financial concern that needs addressing.
Having children has become an expensive undertaking. From medical costs related to childbirth to time off work, government-mandated expenses like car seats, and the added costs of larger living spaces and education, families are stretched thin financially. Even households with two earners often struggle to make ends meet, making it harder to consider expanding the family.
The decline of single-earner households, where one parent could stay home to raise children, can be traced back to the massive expansion of rent seeking. The bureaucratic state has increased massively in all sorts of industries, and the inflation that has funded their expansion has driven up all kinds of costs, including essential resources like health care, education and housing. Both parents often need to work just to maintain a moderate standard of living.
A significant reason for these inflated costs is the fiat monetary system. Inflation has eroded the savings and earning power of average families, compelling both parents to enter the workforce. Moreover, real estate prices have soared, making it challenging for families to afford larger homes that could accommodate more children.
In essence, the decline in birth rates is not a consequence of individual choice or even culture but a byproduct of a kleptocratic monetary system that has made child-rearing unaffordable. Unless structural changes are made to restore the financial viability of having larger families, any superficial policy incentives are unlikely to reverse the declining birth rates. These economic incentives are giving back to families just a tiny portion of what's being stolen through the fiat monetary system. Stopping this inflationary theft would empower families to have more children, but such a move would require political will that is currently lacking.
What we need is a new monetary system and the path is not through political reform, but through the adoption of a new money. Bitcoin really is the fix for low birth rates.
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