Women have to be wary of solutions to the ageing crisis which would limit reproductive rights. This, at any rate, is the theme of a new book by journalist Michelle Goldberg, The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power and the Future of the World. The problem, as she sees it, is that the obvious solution to increasing birth rates is for women to have more babies. But this could wind back the clock on issues like abortion, women in the workforce, and so on.

So she argues that women don't need to revert to traditional, submissive role models imposed by a patriarchy; the best way to raise birth rates is to help women to combine work and family.

"Basically, the societies where birthrates have plunged to dangerous levels – Russia, Catholic countries like Poland, Spain and Italy, as well as Japan and Singapore – are all places that make it very difficult for women to combine work and family. In countries that support working mothers, like Sweden, Denmark, Norway and France, birthrates are basically fine – they’re either just at replacement, or shrinking in a very slow, totally manageable way. (The United States is the exception)... In other words, the threat of population decline is one of the best arguments yet for socialized day care, family leave, and other dreamy Scandinavian-style policies."

But are "birthrates basically fine" in these countries? At about 1.8 or 1.9, they are still well below replacement level Aren't manpower shortages and a growing dependency ratio eventually going to create major social dislocation? Will they be able to afford "dreamy Scandinavian-style policies"? ~ American Prospect, Apr 7

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