This is not specifically related to Poland, but I just wonder if there actually are any countries/regions/demographic groups where people are having more than 2.1 children per woman AND have good access to contraception and good equality between the sexes (where women can choose to not become a mother without heavy pressure from others)?
And if yes, what are the actual factors that correlate with people wanting 2+ kids?
Is the "problem" actually that a lot of people don't really want 2+ kids (under realistic circumstances, not "if you were a millionaire and didn't have to work) if they are truly free to choose? There are a fairly big percentage of people who want 0 kids and some who cannot have any, so in practice you would need quite a lot of people having 3 or more kids to achieve 2.1 on average. Assuming we don't want people who want 0 children to have children anyway.
In Sweden richest earners have 2.3 children average. Number of children goes up linearly when income rises. Problem is it takes time for people to accumulate wealth so by that time they are not as fertile as younger population so fewer children is born overall.
I wonder if that is, to some extent, getting into the "I'm a millionaire and don't have to work" category? As in, can easily afford to either stay home with the kids for long periods, or can afford a lot of very individual help in caring for the kids.
Also I kind of doubt the linear increase in number of kids holds for women after a certain point?
The upper quartile income earners in Sweden work a lot (men&women. One of the highest labourforce participation rates in the world) but they also tend to have a lot of influence over their work conditions (since they're valued labour and Sweden's laws are very parent friendly).
They have ample negotiation power with their employers. So that they for example can say "I want to start to work at 0830 so that I can let my kids sleep until 0700 as well as drop off my kids at school" (government daycare is available from 0600 in most counties, but most parents don't drop off their kids until 0730 or directly when school starts at 0800).
Generous parental leave. 480 days per child total. 90+90 of those are reserved for each parent, the rest can be distributed as they please (although only 390 are income based with the remaining 90 at minimum 180 SEK per day). Most of those days are reserved for when the child is 0-3 years old, but 96 days can be taken out between age 4-11. While this leave can be negotiated over, the employers have very little bargaining power.
VAB (leave for taking care of a sick child. Any minor, ie age 15 or younger) is protected by law and can be taken out by parents or, after some bureaucratic shenanigans, by anyone in a close relation to the family.
Men and women both contribute to raising the family. Men participate both during infancy and when the child is older.
Subsidized and well-developed childcare available at all ages until the child is able to care for themselves. If you're sufficiently low income it's free, but it's subsidized for all income ranges (basically every citizen should feel that they're getting something for their tax money. Hard income cutoffs for government benefits is the bane of tax legitimacy).
Usually high enough wages that they can afford to give both their children and themselves whatever they feel they deserve. Including housing, food, clothes, recreational items (games etc) and luxury vacations (vacation days are also relatively generous. Minimum of 25 per year, frequently 30 or more through personal or union negotiations).
Much of the reason why fertility is lower among the lower quartile in Sweden is that they don't have the negotiation power with their employers (so the "familjepusslet/family puzzle" isn't as easy to solve as it is for the wealthy) and frequently not the economic margins to afford to raise a child without significant sacrifices.
This is not specifically related to Poland, but I just wonder if there actually are any countries/regions/demographic groups where people are having more than 2.1 children per woman AND have good access to contraception and good equality between the sexes (where women can choose to not become a mother without heavy pressure from others)?
And if yes, what are the actual factors that correlate with people wanting 2+ kids?
Is the "problem" actually that a lot of people don't really want 2+ kids (under realistic circumstances, not "if you were a millionaire and didn't have to work) if they are truly free to choose? There are a fairly big percentage of people who want 0 kids and some who cannot have any, so in practice you would need quite a lot of people having 3 or more kids to achieve 2.1 on average. Assuming we don't want people who want 0 children to have children anyway.
In Sweden richest earners have 2.3 children average. Number of children goes up linearly when income rises. Problem is it takes time for people to accumulate wealth so by that time they are not as fertile as younger population so fewer children is born overall.
I wonder if that is, to some extent, getting into the "I'm a millionaire and don't have to work" category? As in, can easily afford to either stay home with the kids for long periods, or can afford a lot of very individual help in caring for the kids.
Also I kind of doubt the linear increase in number of kids holds for women after a certain point?
The upper quartile income earners in Sweden work a lot (men&women. One of the highest labourforce participation rates in the world) but they also tend to have a lot of influence over their work conditions (since they're valued labour and Sweden's laws are very parent friendly).
They have ample negotiation power with their employers. So that they for example can say "I want to start to work at 0830 so that I can let my kids sleep until 0700 as well as drop off my kids at school" (government daycare is available from 0600 in most counties, but most parents don't drop off their kids until 0730 or directly when school starts at 0800).
Generous parental leave. 480 days per child total. 90+90 of those are reserved for each parent, the rest can be distributed as they please (although only 390 are income based with the remaining 90 at minimum 180 SEK per day). Most of those days are reserved for when the child is 0-3 years old, but 96 days can be taken out between age 4-11. While this leave can be negotiated over, the employers have very little bargaining power.
VAB (leave for taking care of a sick child. Any minor, ie age 15 or younger) is protected by law and can be taken out by parents or, after some bureaucratic shenanigans, by anyone in a close relation to the family.
Men and women both contribute to raising the family. Men participate both during infancy and when the child is older.
Subsidized and well-developed childcare available at all ages until the child is able to care for themselves. If you're sufficiently low income it's free, but it's subsidized for all income ranges (basically every citizen should feel that they're getting something for their tax money. Hard income cutoffs for government benefits is the bane of tax legitimacy).
Usually high enough wages that they can afford to give both their children and themselves whatever they feel they deserve. Including housing, food, clothes, recreational items (games etc) and luxury vacations (vacation days are also relatively generous. Minimum of 25 per year, frequently 30 or more through personal or union negotiations).
Much of the reason why fertility is lower among the lower quartile in Sweden is that they don't have the negotiation power with their employers (so the "familjepusslet/family puzzle" isn't as easy to solve as it is for the wealthy) and frequently not the economic margins to afford to raise a child without significant sacrifices.