Problem faced by the client
Our Client was a Policy Maker from a European Union nation. The nation was facing an extremely sharp fall in TFR (Total Fertility Rate) and no measure taken worked. They had tried handing out cash benefits for each childbirth, introducing tax benefits for child education and many such suggestions. Nothing seemed to work.
Identifying Root Cause
We visited the place and undertook an extensive survey of residents across regions, occupations and age groups. Though it took more than 15 days, we found some interesting insights which had gone unnoticed even by the administration. We found that people were simply not interested in having kids. The reasons varied, the working class were extremely vary of the cost of raising a kid being exorbitant and the affluent class felt that the future was bleak and there was no hope for a better future.
Solutions Proposed
In the extensive report we handed over to the client, we detailed all steps which needed to be taken to ensure a successful uptick in TFR. Some of the recommendations we made :
1. We need to encourage love and companionship in young adults. The current systems are only mass-producing humans to fit into the economic machine. This is one of the reasons we are in a fix today. People in college completely ignore their private lives. Institutions need to innovate and have programs to promote companionship and love in young adults (From organising couple events to promote socialising).
2. Outsourcing responsibilities. Another cause of the problem is that people think that they already have so many responsibilities to take care of (parents, career etc.) -which they are struggling to do so by the way – and amidst all this taking on a new responsibility would be foolish. So, we need to make sure that we outsource all the responsibilities of citizens to the government or other organisations. An example of this would be to link health insurances with healthcare industry (the insurance will have an incentive to keep their expenditures low by ensuring the insured is healthy)
3. Hoping for a better future. Most of the people have lost hope in the future of humanity. Though we have so many problems, we should be highly promoting a sense of hope that the future holds an excellent tomorrow for all participants. Not war, not lifelong slavery, not a bland life but an excellent life for all participants where resources are equally available, there is equal opportunity and human dignity is maintained for everyone irrespective of whether you contribute to the society or not.
4. Reduction in stress. People today are madly running after something which sometimes means no value to them just because of money. At the end of their lives, if they look back, they do not find contentment but a pricking guilt that they wasted their lives completely. If working hours are reduced and people are given the freedom of working as per their choice (with their decision having no repercussions on their livelihood) people will surely want to have kids and cherish their lives (since it gives a meaning to their lives).
We tend to underestimate the urge for humans to procreate. I say that if not for very bad circumstances, it is only natural for this process to occur. Even for a human who has never done anything worthwhile in his life, when a child comes into his life it will give him a sense of completeness and fulfilment. When it is so, imagine the plight of the person deciding to forego all this wilfully. Any amount of money you offer to reverse this will not work. (Also, every survey will likely indicate otherwise because of the simple fact that people willing to have children will say yes to assistance for an added benefit and those not yet sure about having will also say yes just in case they decide to have a kid later)
5. Universal Basic Resources. We advocate strongly that in any society, Healthcare, Education, and basic human necessities (food, clothing, and shelter) should be free (unless they are not wasted) irrespective of whether a person works or not. This will surely not give rise to lazy citizens since education will be compulsory and right education will avoid most such cases (because humans inherently look to compete and consequently will end up contributing to the society. Even after all this there will be a tiny fraction which we will not be able to fix)
I know that as an unintended consequence, economic numbers might take a hit but I feel that building a society with a rock-solid foundation which can sustain for a very long time will outweigh the short-term negativities.
6. Cultural shift. The overall culture in the society needs to be more accommodative where fellow citizens show a sense of camaraderie. Society needs to encourage women to have kids (since women already have a maternal instinct biologically pushing them). This can be done by being nice to pregnant women in public places, celebrating the pregnancy of ladies in workplaces and in front of their acquaintances (this will create a sense of wanting in all those looking at the person being celebrated). It needs to be communicated that having a child is as important if not more than careers. Also, a child should not be treated like an investment. A child is a completely independent entity which only needs to be nurtured and cherished. A space needs to be made in every neighbourhood for mothers to bring their babies and socialise (so that they do not feel bored for more than 6-9 months being trapped within their homes). These can be existing daycares with existing staff too.
7. People need to know that by having a child they are contributing to society. The same society which has done so much for them (just 100 years ago, even kings would not live such a comfortable life lived by a middle-class person today and each of us needs to be thankful for everyone that has given us such a comfortable life). This shift in thinking can be brought about by social media and movies.
8. The government needs to instil confidence in prospective parents that it will back them. Many people fear that they will be bad parents. In such cases, the government needs to let them know that it does not matter (because education will make up for any mistakes) how bad they parent, the government and the systems will make sure it is nullified.
9. By making education and healthcare free, we will be largely making raising a child inexpensive but this will need close monitoring since one of the biggest causes is financial viability.
10. For a better future, people need to know that for future generations resources will not be scarce (like housing) and there will be equal opportunities for all to excel
11. This one will be highly controversial but still, we suggest making inheritances illegal. People shall make any amount of expenses on the child when alive but any kind of asset transfer will not be permitted. This provides an equal opportunity for anybody who is born in the country (combined with free education) to succeed without any prejudice. Any amount of wealth the person amasses in his lifetime, he can spend it as per his whims and fancies. The moment he dies, all of it will be auctioned and the proceeds will go to the government. If the kids want to retain anything of emotional value, its fair value can be ascertained and given at that price for them to retain. Doing this will also ensure that there is no accumulation of wealth.
12. Education. One of the consequences of all the above changes may be that we will have weak men in the society for the next 5-8 years. Hence, education is one crucial thing which if done right can give extraordinary returns in the long run (both economically and demographically). The quality of people you can boast of as a country will be exceptional. Kids need to be taught gratitude, moralistic thinking and defending what they think is right irrespective of who is on the opposite side. Make higher education optional and enrolment only based on self-interest. (Making a statement that we respect each individual’s choice and the person even if it does not fit into the economic engine. This will make sure that any innovation will not happen with money as an incentive but with pure goodwill towards the society which has given so much to us.
13. Some things which are unrelated to the problem are: The elderly care problem is coming soon and we need to prepare for it beforehand and it is better if we make the government less dependent on tax revenue (by investment and business incomes) which will make the government much more capable to handle any unwarranted crises.
Outcome
The implementation of several measures have already begun and the others are under fast track approval process. We expect to see results in 18 months (flatlining of TFR) and betterment of situation in about 30 months (an uptick in TFR).
