Japan is the most famous example, with a record-low number of births in 2021. The US population is barely growing anymore. China’s had it first population decline in more than 60 years.
Here in New Zealand? The long-term trend is fewer births.
What could be behind this, I wonder? When it’s so difficult to buy a house, wages don’t keep up with living costs and childcare is so expensive, gosh, what on earth puts people off?
Anyway, having children and raising a family is something many people want. Just because there are certain financial realities doesn’t mean it’s impossible.
For the latest podcast, I talked to Cat Emerson from Kernel.
For the interview, listen to the podcast here.
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• Listen to the full interview on the Cooking the Books podcast. You can subscribe on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.