In much of Europe,
rates have
over the past few
. Western European women were having an
of 2.4 children each in 1970. But as women
higher education,
their role in the
and started having babies later, that
has fallen to 1.5 last year.
Hospital maternity
already stand empty in parts of Latvia and Slovakia, and schools are closing in eastern Germany for
of pupils. Germany, in fact, is experiencing such a birth
that its population could
from 82 million to 24 million by the end of the century.
Low
rates in Italy and Spain, 1.29, spring from high
unemployment, the prevalence of short-term work
, a chronic
of affordable housing for young people - and a
in the workplace against women who
their careers to have kids. Combining family and
still doesn't seem like a realistic possibility for Italian women, as in Italy you're either seen as
or not. And
a child is seen as a sign that you're not."
Some countries like Sweden and its Scandinavian neighbors, Britain, Ireland, France and the Netherlands are
relatively well, with
rates above 1.7. Yet nowhere in the European Union does
approach 2.1, the level needed to keep the population
. That means that the
of the E.U. could
from 482 million today to 454 million by 2050. In the same period, the E.U.'s working age
is projected to drop
18% while the number of those aged 65 or more will
by 60%. If the trend continues, within a generation
pension and health costs will
European state budgets - and
the Continent's economic growth rate.