A simple fact: America’s birth rate is A surprising decline Over the past 20 years.
The required replacement fertility rate is 2.1 children per woman. By 2023, the U.S. fertility rate will be Dropped The number of births per woman was 1.62, the lowest fertility rate since 1979.
Additionally, marriage (and divorce) rates declined from 2009 to 2019. according to United States Census Bureau. (Related article: Peter Biles: Gen Z faces big problems)
Young cultural critic Freya India sounds the alarm This video From Triggernometry: “In the United States, 45% of women are expected to be unmarried and childless by 2030.”
This is a frightening figure and a terrifying prediction for future generations.
Gen Z, the generation born between 1995 and 2012, is increasingly eschewing dating and marriage, opting for risk-averse, screen-centered lives. Why?
According to social psychologists, children are growing up in a “phone-based” childhood, leaving them “overprotected in the real world and underprotected in the virtual world.” Jonathan Haidt writes:may be primarily responsible.
There are many reasons why young men and women Snapchat in the dark but never actually exchange a word. Smartphones foster the illusion of community and connection but conveniently block out the demands of commitment, awkward social interactions, and the difficulty of building and maintaining relationships. While older generations were clawing at doors to get their driver’s licenses, “Zoomers” are ignoring them and grabbing Ubers to get that late-night Taco Bell.
Furthermore, men and women of Gen Z Changing direction Politically, in different ways, young women are becoming more liberal and young men are not. I do not want Date someone with different political views.
This may explain why conservative religious couples have the happiest marriages. They have deeper values that go beyond politics when deciding who to date and marry. Married religious couples are in fact Highest reported satisfaction The same goes for sex life: “Studies show that American men and women who attend church regularly are significantly happier in their marriages, less likely to divorce, and more satisfied with their lives.” write Marriage researcher Brad Wilcox.
Jonathan Haidt’s new book,Anxious GenerationIts slogan is “Helping Gen Z prepare for adulthood and become independent,” including no cell phones at school, no social media use until age 16, and age verification on social media and porn sites. It also encourages parents to let their children play alone so they can learn how to take risks.
Additionally, married couples may be given access to government incentives such as tax breaks and additional perks for having children. Hungary did it.
But at the end of the day, my generation has to make the choice to start taking risks, even if it means getting hurt in the process.
The great Oxford professor and author C.S. Lewis put the problem of risk aversion in In an impressive way One of his most famous quotes from his book, “The Four Loves” is: write:
“To love something is to make your heart wring, to the point that it may break. If you want to keep it intact, give it to no one, not even to animals. Wrap it carefully in hobbies and little luxuries, avoid all entanglements. Lock it safely away in the coffin and coffin of your selfishness… To love is to be vulnerable.”
The impact of declining dating, marriage, and birth rates goes beyond just the demographic problem and mental health crisis of Gen Z. Avoiding relationships at all costs means putting yourself at mental risk. How can you learn to love and understand others if you’re stuck in front of a screen all day? You can’t. Eventually, you’ll stop caring about the real world and real people in favor of the virtual one.
The best thing young people can do, myself included, is to stop snapchatting and texting, stop porn and video games, and do the scary thing: have a coffee and actually talk.. It’s weird, I know.
But it might just save the world after all.
Peter Biles is the author of Hillbilly Hymn and Keep & Other Stories, and a contributor to Mind Matters News.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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