Fewer Children in Greece May Add to Its Financial Crisis
"Lower birthrates in the south will mean weaker growth and productivity, holding the birthrate down and producing more fiscal problems." Over time, he added, "it suggests
that the already divergent economic performance between Northern and Southern Europe may become structural rather than cyclical." The lower birthrates have been aggravated by fiscal pressures that constrained countries from offering robust family support programs.
Michaela Kreyenfeld started that hit Europe when birthrates in many countries had ju
In Tempi, a verdant region in central Greece, many primary schools
and kindergartens have closed since 2012 as parents had fewer children and young Greeks left the country, said Xanthi Zisaki, a municipal councilor.
As couples grapple with a longer-than-expected stretch of low growth, high unemployment, precarious jobs
and financial strain, they are increasingly deciding to have just one child — or none.
Without significant improvement, the region is trending toward some of the lowest birthrates in the world, a dynamic
that will accelerate stress on pension and welfare systems and crimp growth as a shrinking work force competes with the rest of Europe and the world.
"If you don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel, how can you plan for the future?" Whether the demographic decline slows
or abates ultimately depends on the financial fortunes in the south, where most countries suffered double-dip recessions.
"After eight years of economic stagnation, they’re giving up on their dreams." Like women in the United States
and other mature economies, women across Europe have been having fewer children for decades.
