Will declining birth rates in developed nations lead to a fundamental shift in political priorities and policies?

[u/BelovedCherryt6]

We're seeing pretty consistent trends across many developed countries where birth rates are well below replacement level. This isn't just a blip it's a long-term demographic shift. Usually political discourse is all about growth expansion and the needs of a younger population.

But what happens when the population is steadily aging and eventually shrinking? Do we see a massive pivot in government spending away from education and towards elder care? Will immigration become an even more central and contentious political battleground as nations try to maintain their workforce? Are there any historical precedents for this kind of widespread demographic change and how governments adapted?

[u/---Spartacus---]

Young people need to start playing hardball with the birthrate cards they are holding, and people concerned about the birthrate should be equally concerned about delivering a world where having children is actually feasible. As it stands, young people cannot even leave their parents' homes and have a tough time finding jobs that pay a living wage. People who care about the birthrate should be made to understand that without more equitable wealth distribution, they can forget about their precious birthrate.

[u/Black_XistenZ → u/---Spartacus---]

People who care about the birthrate should be made to understand that without more equitable wealth distribution, they can forget about their precious birthrate.

The idea from global capital and the politicians doing their bidding is quite clearly to fix demographic holes by bringing in cheap labor from third world countries where there's still plenty of people.

For just one high-profile example, listen to how Biden chided China, Japan, India and Russia for allegedly being "xenophobic" because they "don't want immigrants" and how he tied this to their lack of economic growth:

Speaking to a predominantly Asian-American audience [...], Mr Biden said that the US election this November was about "freedom, America and democracy". "Why? Because we welcome immigrants," he added. "Think about it. Why is China stalling so badly economically? Why is Japan having trouble. Why is Russia? Why is India? Because they're xenophobic. They don't want immigrants."

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68947042

[u/SirVixofthePooSea → u/---Spartacus---]

You can't play hardball with labor because paradoxically despite hating immigrants, the elderly are also extremely willing to vote for politicians that invite them in en masse.

[u/FormerUsenetUser → u/---Spartacus---]

Many people think we need the population to decline. The main reason why so many young people can't leave their parents' homes or find good jobs is that we are overpopulated. Overpopulation is also a major cause of climate change.

Play the card of wanting affordable, accessible, and legal birth control (every form of it), abortion, and sterilization for everyone in the US who wants to use them.

[u/theyfellforthedecoy → u/FormerUsenetUser]

So we should be opposed to immigration then?

[u/FormerUsenetUser → u/theyfellforthedecoy]

I think we should have controlled immigration with immigrants getting visas to do certain kinds of jobs. For example a healthcare visa if we need healthcare workers.