A Quiz
January 4, 2011
ITALIAN women, with a total fertility rate of 1.32 children, are among the most un-fruitful women in the history of the world. Why are Italian women so infertile? Because they are spending their prime years preparing for jobs, looking for jobs, and bemoaning the lack of jobs. Judging from this article on the economic crisis in Europe, Italy will fall because women found it more interesting to work in offices, and search for the Holy Grail of jobs, than raise the next generation. If longtime readers of this site cannot peruse this article and instantly see what is wrong with it, and one obvious solution for the problems mentioned, then either I am a very lousy teacher or you all deserve to flunk.
— Comments —
Karen I. writes:
I find it interesting that in Italy, the birth rate is low. I live in an area with a high population of Italian-Americans, including one side of my family. The old Italians are respected by their younger relatives and they have a way of encouraging them to marry and have children. My grandmother was no exception. She made it clear that she had no interest in my career plans when I was young. When I was 21, and having trouble deciding which of two young men who wanted to date me I liked better, she advised me to choose the one who wanted to marry me. The old ladies at the Italian-American Club don’t brag about the careers of their children and grandchildren. They brag about how many children and grandchildren they have. They truly seem to view each baby as a gift from God no matter how many are already in the family. They may barely acknowledge the college graduation of a young woman in the family, but when that same woman has a baby, they shower her with gifts and praise. When the old Italian women pass away, they leave behind dozens of relatives to mourn them in a packed Church.
Laura writes:
Italians still have that ancient devotion to family and to babies. But they didn’t have so many children in the past simply because they loved family or adored babies. They loved something more than family and more than babies. I’m sure many Italians insist they cannot afford to have more children, but if that is true then many Italians in the past, who raised large families in tenements, could not afford children either. The availability of birth control also does not explain the decline in fertility. Bith control is chosen.
