Why Birth Rate Matters?

I am an incurable pessimist, I confess. This post is also a incurable pessimistic murmur, I apologize.

Why am I writing this article? Well, it is inspired by some news reported periodically, and recently some news articles referred to marriage as well as birth rate showed up[1][2][3].

Scale is based on the average traffic of 生育 from Taiwan in all years.


I have to say that I really appreciate, admire, and respect those who are optimistic to have babies. But, however, I prefer not to have any for two reasons. First, I doubt that we, this generation, cannot leave them a wonderful land to live on. Second, I doubt that the world will ever get better, or, on the contrary, it's worse and worse.

First of all, I have not much confidence that the earth can sustain us. Pollutions, green house effect, energy crisis, etc, give me a shadow that my children will have to confront those environmental tragedies if I have any.

We have already confronted these problems, and it's very possible that we will suffer more critical tragedies, not to mention how bad we will leave for the following generations.

I am wondering, where are we bring them(the new generation) to, a wonderland? a hell? or just the earth, as we expect.


Secondly, this world dose not look like progressing well. Wars, genocides, racial conflict, religious conflict, class conflict, national conflict, and gender conflict still take place over and over again, as if they prove that civilization does not guarantee that a better world will land.

The world, the system, is designed for and ruled by the people who have power and who can achieve the power.

Financial crisis, illegal voluntary lay-offs, and malicious slander and attack on the Internet from those who see themselves as intellectuals and elites (or the society expect they are), repeatedly happen in these days, as if they confirmed that human naturally deem to destroy others and exploit others to satisfy their own desires.

Wall street financier made (or make, or, is still making) a bubble and sweep the money and families around the world with FED.

The educated intellectuals neglect their cultural and economical capital and structural problem, educate those who failed or not so successful in life that their fails are due to their own personal problems.

The worst thing is, it seems normal that people who own vested interests to sacrifice others for keeping them success. It seems that things supposedly happen in that way, cannot tolerate any harsh doubt.

I am not so realistic (someone may call it selfish) as those who have no time and no willing to care about others. But I am also not so passionate (someone may call it naive) as those who believe they can change this world. I am just, well, pessimistic.


The first part, the part about birth rate, is over. The following is the second part.


In those articles reported recently, since the Mother's Day, I noticed that, the media in Taiwan connect women to having babies, connect marriages to forming families and raising children. They always talk about sub-replacement fertility, women, and marriage together.

Sometimes, they give me a hint that singles and families have no children are responsible for the effects and consequences of sub-replacement fertility.

I don't have to say, as everyone knows, lovers do not have to get married. Not everyone wants the protection from the certification, from the law. Not every couple wants to live with the other for a whole life.

However, I don't have to say, too, it may be a good idea to have someone you love to live with. As most friends will form couples, it's not bad to have someone who to love and to give and to have support (in case of committing to suicide because of finally finding out the meaninglessness, emptiness, and hopelessness of life).

Living together without official confirmation is not bad, as people (especially recent knowledge workers) move often, fly often, change place often, it's not easy to have someone to love and live with for a long time (says a whole life?).


Someone may be wondering, what will happen if the country have too few adults who can keep the economic engine working? Well, the knowledge work is not too dependent on the age. And, it's no promises that the country, and the earth can last for so long to see the consequence.

Someone may say that science and technology can cure the environment, the civilization make the world better, well, if so unfortunate, then there must be some tech to give us, the future elders, to have a good way and good place to enjoy the rest life.


[1] 比日韓嚴重／適婚女性 10人有7人未婚, June 10, 2009.
[2] 「敗犬」當道　國內適婚女性有7成未婚, June 10, 2009.
[3] 鼓勵生育不能只靠津貼 政府需打造有利環境, June 7, 2009.