[Dot]

The American private sector has spent 50 years making it nearly impossibly for citizens to have children (no maternity leave, open hostility toward women who get pregnant, etc.), only to turn around and claim that due to low birth rates there aren't enough workers in this country? So now they have to import people for half or 2/3 of what they'd have to pay Americans to do the same job? Is this a long term conspiracy by business or just very poor planning on the part of the country?

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Name : Dot, Gender : Female, Age : none, City : L.A., State : CA Country : United States, Social class : Middle class, 

[ShirleyAvery]

Men have been almost totally in power in government, workplaces, most religions until fairly recently. I notion that low birth rate is the reason to outsource jobs is bogus. MAking money for the shareholders & outrageous salaries for the top dogs is most important. If companies can cut corners by farming out jobs at much lower cost, they'll do it - no loyalty to our country when the almighty dollar is involved. Secondly, (and here's where I see a possible conspiracy, or at least alack of forethought), because education in this country is not a high priority, our students have proved less competent in math & science than many other countries that churn out engineers and other qualified professionals. Test scores suggest this. As a former teacher, I also blame parents who do not make education a priority over tennis, baton twirling or watching TV. Just Curious

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Name : ShirleyAvery, Gender : F, Disability : none, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 52, City : st. louis, State : MO Country : United States, Occupation : writer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[DannyH]

Actually, the real culprit with the lower birth rate are two factors: Culture and Education. The American culture is industrialized/information aged as opposed to agrarian. That mean that a lot of children is a financial burden on the family. Add into the fact that women entering the workforce has made it difficult for them to have children as opposed to being stay at home moms as well as that those women's salaries have boosted the median income of living to a point that it is now almost impossible for a family to live on one salary and you have a recipe for suppressing the birth rate. In agrarian cultures however, many children are helpful to the family. There are more hands to bring in crops and take care of the farm. This means that as those cultures begin to mechanize, they have a surplus of labor to export. The problem you bring up has less to do with "evil corporate America" than it does with simple shifts cultural means of production. Danny Life's a banquet and most poor bastards are starving to death!

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Name : DannyH, Gender : Male, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Asatru, Age : 45, City : Buon, State : NA Country : South Korea, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Mara]

Business hasn't made it "nearly impossibly for citizens to have children ", they've simply been hostile to FEMALE citizens having children AND having jobs. If you'll remember, it's only been in the last 30 years or so that women have entered the workforce in any great number. Business is slow to change practices that have worked for decades (if not centuries!). Men have a favored status because, historically, children have been the responsibility of the woman. Men seldom/never had to leave work early to pick the kid up at school, or take them to the doctor, or stay home when they were sick... Now that women are IN the workforce, things will change. Slowly, perhaps almost imperceptably, but they WILL change...eventually. It's a learning curve and it'll take a while for family-friendly practices to prove their financial worth.

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Name : Mara, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 40, City : Atlanta, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : data entry, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class, 

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