Modern Trend of Small Families

The topic of “How many children should a family have” has been going for many generations. For some the decision is easy because of their religious beliefs. This instance can be found within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints where the members believe in the importance of replenishing the Earth as part of God’s plan. The Family, A Proclamation to the World, that was released by the Church Presidency and the 12 apostles in 1995 states, “The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force.” For others, they will follow the modern trends and media advice given by both educated personas and TV stars. And for the rest – they simply can’t decide; the debate is so strong – it is hard to make an exact decision. Although it is difficult to track data for many centuries, there is enough that has been tracked since the early 20th century.

During the first week of class, we had a controversial discussion about families and children. After World War II, many nations went through a baby boom. There were a lot more resources and many had a desire to have big families. An exception was Japan, that didn’t fall under the “trend.” The average amount of kids that a mother had during baby boom times was 6 children. For about fifteen years, the population grew and that led scientists to question what the consequences might be if it keeps growing.

As an example, a writer Paul Ehrlich wrote a book called The Population Bomb that affected a big number of people. He stated that the whole situation will cause many people to starve. Moreover, he added that it will also have a negative impact on the environment. As a result, by late 70s, a new trend was set up. The families decreased the goal of how many children they should have. The mindset is present today and a lot of families in the world believe that an average of two children is appropriate. A decade or so later we were able to discover that different events proved Ehrlich wrong. A concept, called Human Capital, was developed. It has shown that a growing population is a benefit because not only people use resources, but they also provide new resources and that is needed to support the world. In addition, there is more than enough food available for people. Although starvation still exists, we know that the cause of it can be different such as environmental disasters, corruption, etc.

Interestingly, one of the documentaries included interviews that were made in different countries and to the question “How many children is ideal for a family?” one of the answers was “It’s not modern for a family to have a lot of kids.” I am curious if that trend will change again. As I was studying different materials, I went back to the beginning and pondered about the fact that people wanted to start a family after the war. During the tragic time that is happening in Ukraine a lot feel helpless. However, many are filled with hope and great wishes for a peaceful future. A great number of married couples have a great goal of starting a family once the war is over. I think it shows us that when hard things come to pass, true values in life are a lot more noticeable. People want to focus on their spouses, kids, parents, and close friends. In other words, they simply value their life.