Would Americans Have More Babies if the Government Paid Them?
The problem, social scientists say, is if the parents do not get the children they want, because society has made it too difficult, too expensive, and solitary. It is called Irregular fertility, And financial anxiety are a driving factor.
“The framework I like is about reproductive autonomy,” said sociologist Sarah Cowan, who studies fertility at New York University. He said, “If people want children not to have them, because they can’t:” This is an inequality that cannot follow. “
This is where family policies can help including child allowances. Research from other countries Shows that direct payment leads to a slight increase in births – at least at first. For example, in Spain, Childbirth allowance increased by 3 percent; When it was canceled, the birth rate was reduced by 6 percent. The benefit seems to encourage women to have children earlier, but not necessarily to have more of them – so even though it increases fertility in a given year, it does not have a major impact on one generation is.
In addition to international evidence, there is data on the effect of direct payments on parents in the United States. Alaska gets paid every year based on oil revenue. Because it changes annually and increases with the number of children, researchers have been able to investigate its effect on fertility. Payment increased fertility, their studies have shown. a study The increase was huge for some groups in the years from 1984 to 2010: Alaska Natives; Those without a college degree; And unmarried women.
Kiara Duds, a doctoral candidate in sociology at New York University, said “these groups had economic constraints to meet their reproductive goals, and this cash was enough,” he said, who studied with Professor Cowan.
Alaska data, like Europe, suggest that women had children before, but most did not necessarily end up having more. The greatest increase in fertility was between 25 and 34 and first-born people, but there was little change in the third birth.
Some countries have focused their policies on encouraging large families, as a way to stop mass immigration, a. Strategy is common among right-wing populists. Hungary has Given Women who have at least four children are exempt from personal income tax; Free fertility treatment provided; And subsidized cars with seven or More seats For families with three or more children, among other measures.
