Fundamentally it's about whether you value service or being served. To have children is a big sacrifice: it requires self-denial for years.
Our liberal culture teaches that self-denial is morally wrong; that one's highest duty is to oneself. So even if women want to devote themselves to childrearing they face social pressure not to do so.
I think the problem in southern European Catholic countries is that the old Catholic demands are more onerous in comparison to northern norms. In other words if you're going to be a mother, you've got to do it the right way - old school - and that scares women away from making that commitment.
In the north there's more tolerance for just "winging it," even among Catholics. I'm a northern Catholic and have noticed that the Italian ladies some of my relatives married are much more "proper" about how they approach family matters, which can be a great thing, but it doesn't look easy.
The differences the data show are irrelevant. All European countries are below replacement rate. Wealth and access to technology maybe account for a 0.5 points oscillation, but the general trend is declining since many years, and doesn't show signs of inversion.
I broadly agree with your analysis of the higher birthrate of Israel. Both national and religious factors count, but also the fact that Israelis live in constant danger.
Fertility is primarily a function of the spiritual health of a nation, while economy and technology have a lesser role.
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Fundamentally it's about whether you value service or being served. To have children is a big sacrifice: it requires self-denial for years.
Our liberal culture teaches that self-denial is morally wrong; that one's highest duty is to oneself. So even if women want to devote themselves to childrearing they face social pressure not to do so.
I think the problem in southern European Catholic countries is that the old Catholic demands are more onerous in comparison to northern norms. In other words if you're going to be a mother, you've got to do it the right way - old school - and that scares women away from making that commitment.
In the north there's more tolerance for just "winging it," even among Catholics. I'm a northern Catholic and have noticed that the Italian ladies some of my relatives married are much more "proper" about how they approach family matters, which can be a great thing, but it doesn't look easy.
Buon lavoro con questo articolo!
The differences the data show are irrelevant. All European countries are below replacement rate. Wealth and access to technology maybe account for a 0.5 points oscillation, but the general trend is declining since many years, and doesn't show signs of inversion.
I broadly agree with your analysis of the higher birthrate of Israel. Both national and religious factors count, but also the fact that Israelis live in constant danger.
Fertility is primarily a function of the spiritual health of a nation, while economy and technology have a lesser role.