Birth Rate in Decline: Sociologist Calls for Rethinking

The head of the Fiscal Council, Christoph Badelt, raised eyebrows in March with his warning of a budgetary "demographic bomb" due to the aging population. In fact, according to the latest figures, the birth rate is at an "all-time low" of 1.31 children per woman, as ÖAW demographer Caroline Berghammer explained on Monday evening. In light of all this, the German sociologist Jutta Allmendinger advocated for genuine "out-of-the-box" thinking in front of journalists.

Ultimately, a "massive reorientation of life courses" must be enabled, where phases of education, re-education, employment, child and parent care, or various forms of retirement can also alternate flexibly. Looking at the extremely low birth rates in Austria and Germany, a compatibility policy that also targets men is needed, emphasized the educational sociologist and labor market researcher from the Humboldt University of Berlin ahead of a lecture organized in collaboration between the Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) and Statistics Austria.

Often Only Poor Options for Women

Currently, women can virtually decide whether they either do not really fulfill the still very traditionally defined mother role in many parts of society, cannot adequately care for their parents in old age, or are at a disadvantage in terms of income compared to men in employment. In many cases, the decision is made in our regions not to have a child or not to have a second, third, or fourth child, said Allmendinger, who is also a member of the German Science Council. Women are often simply not willing to bear the triple burden and increasingly rely on their own security through employment.

This can hardly be blamed on them, as many regulations ultimately lead to men remaining in full-time jobs after the birth of children, while women bear the majority of the "mental load" of everyday life. Mothers in Germany wait an average of two years for a spa treatment, Allmendinger calculated.

Today's Men Want "Not to Live Like Their Fathers"

And: If childcare allowance is based on income, many families simply cannot afford to forgo, for example, a third of the money that the man would bring home without parental leave. An increase would bring more men into parental leave, according to the researcher. In addition: Studies clearly show that a large part of today's men "do not want to live like their fathers," who often could only build a very rudimentary relationship with their offspring. This is a factor that politics often underestimates.

Yes, it is true that many parts of politics still do not want to tackle real changes in the areas of family, pensions, and immigration. The fear of being punished in the next election is great, explained former Education Minister and ÖAW President Heinz Faßmann, for example, with regard to discussions about raising the retirement age. Everyone is aware that the change in the age pyramid is progressing rapidly. Statistics Austria Director General Tobias Thomas once again pointed out that the proportion of people aged 65 and older will grow from the current approximately 20 percent to around 30 percent of the total population by 2060. Accordingly, the expenses for the pensions of the "baby boomer" generation and others are also increasing. By the year 2040, there will only be two people of working age for every pensioner.

Birth Rate in Decline: Considering "Children's Voting Rights"

It is no secret that the latter group forms the voter backbone for some parties. Seniors have corresponding political weight. New paths should be taken here, and "out-of-the-box" thinking is needed, Allmendinger urged: for example, a "children's voting right." Here, the votes of people with children would have correspondingly more weight, which would strengthen the legitimacy of families and encourage political movements to focus more on securing the future, reconciling work and family life, and balancing burdens between women and men and in society as a whole.

How Austrians think about the challenges of demographic change and its societal impacts was surveyed by the ÖAW in the fall as part of its annual "Science Barometer," as Faßmann explained. At least 53 percent of participants stated that they were "very strongly" or "strongly" interested in the topic. The greatest fear in this context is that aging will lead to deteriorations in healthcare. In second place are concerns about a deepening skills shortage and the unaffordability of the pension system.

Little Enthusiasm for Immigration or Raising the Retirement Age

As a preferred countermeasure, most respondents stated that the unemployed should be encouraged to work more and that female employment should be increased by improving the compatibility of work and family. Also highly favored - quite surprisingly for Faßmann - is more individual engagement in private pension provision. The "targeted recruitment of foreign workers" is less favored. For Faßmann, the conclusion remains: immigration is "not a popular form" of dealing with the aging population. According to the survey, raising the retirement age and increasing social security contributions are also unpopular.

(APA/Red)

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