CULTURAL ASPECTS
OF FAMILY POLICY
A SUPPLEMENT OR AN EFFECTIVE RECIPE FOR THE DEMOGRAPHIC CRISIS?
Scientific conference
30 september / 9:30-17:00
Warsaw Engineering House NOT
Choosing to forgo family life (excluding, of course, reasons beyond our control, like infertility or health issues that preclude procreation or adoption) denies two core aspects of human nature: our need to connect with others and our desire to find enduring meaning in life.
It is primarily for this reason—and not just because of questions related to demographics or population growth—that the toll of the dwindling birth rate should concern us. The accelerating cultural trend away from childbirth threatens to diminish core characteristics of what it means to be a fulfilled, flourishing human: our need for connection and our desire to seek meaning.
Alexandra Davis
Since the late 1990s, our country has been classified as one of the nations with the lowest fertility rates in the world. Currently, Poland ranks 213th out of 227 classified countries and territories in this regard. While this issue strongly affects Poland, the phenomenon of declining fertility itself has a global character.
What is the cause of this situation? Is it the significant reduction in child mortality? The replacement (or supplementation) of children as guarantors of secure old age through social insurance systems? An overall improvement in the quality of life? Or perhaps, on the contrary, economic difficulties? These and many other explanations have been proposed by demographers, sociologists, and economists. However, an increasing body of research points to a different answer: culture.
People have children not only due to their individual pursuit of happiness, economic benefits, or pure biology, but primarily because of cultural factors that shape their behavior. We are convinced that understanding these factors is of paramount importance for Polish family policy and the Polish national interest.
Therefore, on September 30th, the Ordo Iuris Institute and the Collegium Intermarium are organizing a popular-science conference titled “Cultural Aspects of Family Policy – An Addition or the Foundation of an Effective Solution to the Demographic Crisis?”
Jeżeli dzietność utrzyma się na obecnym poziomie, Polskę czeka zjawisko wtórnego regresu demograficznego, czyli pogłębienia się negatywnych procesów w kolejnych pokoleniach ze względu na ich niższy potencjał demograficzny.
Z tego względu dla polskiej racji stanu absolutnie kluczowe znaczenie ma podniesienie poziomu dzietności, wyrażanego najczęściej współczynnikiem dzietności ogólnej (TFR). Uczestnicy konferencji, akademicy, profesorowie, przedstawiciele wiodących think-tanków zajmujących się kulturą i polityką rodzinną będą wspólnie poszukiwać odpowiedzi na powyższe wyzwania.
Konferencje naukową poprzedzać będzie dzień konsultacji seminaryjnych z udziałem prelegentów konferencyjnych oraz przedstawicieli wiodących europejskich ośrodków analitycznych i Think Tanków zajmujących się problematyką polityki rodzinnej. Konferencja będzie połączona z inauguracją roku akademickiego w Collegium Intermarium.
Można go powiesić w parafialnej lub szkolnej gablocie lub na tablicy ogłoszeń.
Europe’s population is on the brink of a significant decline
According to a 2020 report titled "Fertility, Mortality, Migration, and Population Scenarios for 195 Countries and Territories from 2017 to 2100," prepared by researchers at the University of Washington, Europe's population is on the brink of a significant decline. It is projected that population losses in Europe between 2020 and 2100, especially in Central and Eastern Europe, will approach levels not seen since the Bubonic Plague in the 14th century. Over this period, Europe as a whole is expected to lose 26% of its population (a decrease of 200 million people). Many countries around the world anticipate losing 40% or more of their population, including Poland (-60%).
The impact of culture on human behavior is unquestionable today
It has been shown that we "learn" and "inherit" patterns related to fertility observed in the environment we grow up and live in. There is a correlation between contemporary teenage TV series and changes in their procreative behaviors. Statistics indicate that the decline in fertility is lowest among religious individuals. The number of children one has is influenced by their affiliation with a specific ethnic group. A decrease in income among men reduces the likelihood of marriage, while a decrease in income among women increases it. Examples can be multiplied.
one-third of childless Poles declare that they do not want to have children
Research indicates that the declining fertility rate is explained not so much by rising direct costs, such as the cost of food, diapers, or housing, but by beliefs about the alternative costs associated with parenthood. Potentially lost or limited career and recreational prospects appear more attractive than having children. Surveys show that as many as one-third of childless Poles declare that they do not want to have children (21% are undecided). When asked about the reasons, they most often respond that they fear a decrease in their quality of life, worry about not being able to pursue their passions, and that they "do not like children." Similarly, in the United States, the most frequently cited reason is the desire to maintain personal independence.
Family love
is the foundation
of all virtues
Cicero
We look at an economic recession and blame the government for mismanagement. We look at staff shortages in the care sector and blame young people for being lazy. We look at the lengthening queues in hospitals and blame it on underinvestment in the health service. We look at inter-ethnic conflicts and blame them on ineffective assimilation policies. Few people put all these problems together, recognizing that they are actually the same problem. Simply put, not enough children are being born, and the fix of mass migration will soon cease to suffice.
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The project is funded by the Ministry of Education and Science under the Excellent Science II program.