Latest news with #society
New York Times
30 minutes ago
- Business
- New York Times
The Feminist Case for Spending Billions to Boost the Birthrate
There is a certain type of problem whose sheer time scale makes solutions difficult: The longer the time between today's decisions and tomorrow's catastrophes, the harder it is to demand sacrifices now in order to ensure those catastrophes never happen. Climate change is the obvious example. But it's increasingly clear that there is another: population decline. As the problem of falling birthrates attracts more concern — and previous efforts to reverse it have proved insufficient — a growing body of research indicates that a genuine solution will require a paradigm shift in society's understanding about what is worth paying for and who ought to pay it. Across most of the world, fertility rates are falling. As economies develop, fertility rates tend to decline — and when economies develop especially quickly, fertility rates often plummet to particularly low levels. In many countries they are already below 2.1 births per woman, the 'replacement level' needed to keep populations steady from one generation to the next. If current trends continue, by 2050 more than three-quarters of countries will be below replacement-level fertility. By 2100, populations in some major economies will fall by 20 to 50 percent. And because birthrates compound like debt, the further fertility rates drop in one generation, the more they would need to increase in the next one to make up the numbers. If birthrates do not change, the eventual result would be human extinction. That is a long way off, but population shrinkage is likely to have severe consequences far sooner. As the ratio of working-aged adults to dependent children and retirees falls, there are fewer workers to support the social safety net. The result is that taxes rise, the quality of public services deteriorates, and the economy eventually shrinks. Politicians, policymakers and the public increasingly realize that this is a serious problem. And yet despite a variety of financial incentives, ad campaigns and other policies, birthrates have continued to fall. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Independent
14 hours ago
- Health
- The Independent
Psychopaths are most likely to live in these US states
A new study indicates a correlation between adverse social conditions and higher levels of psychopathy, narcissism, and sadism. The research analyzed data from 1.8 million people across 183 countries, including 144,000 in the U.S., linking personality traits to societal factors like poverty, inequality, and violence. Researchers found that in societies where rules are broken and conditions are poor, individuals tend to prioritize self-interest, leading to higher 'Dark Factor' levels. U.S. states such as Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Nevada and New York were identified with higher 'Dark Factor' levels, while Utah, Vermont, and Alaska showed lower levels. The study suggests that personality is shaped by societal conditions, implying that reforms to reduce corruption and inequality could help prevent the development of negative personality traits.
Telegraph
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
The Great Britain I love is dying. We have one last chance to save it
Imagine yourself back 30 years ago. If somehow you had been given a glimpse into the country's future, I am pretty confident certain things would have seemed quite incredible. To choose just a few not-quite-random recent examples: That we would have ignored the well-known fact of the mass gang rape of young girls across British cities for decades; That the British state would be unable to build a railway line between London and Birmingham and would spend nearly £100 billion proving it; That Parliament would allow women to kill their unborn baby at any point without committing any crime. You might have said in response that surely there must have been a massive change in the demographic, cultural, practical and indeed moral characteristics of Britain to make this possible. You might have said 'That doesn't sound like the same country I live in now', the country which had dragged itself out of a huge economic and political hole, played a huge role in winning the Cold War, and just finished building a tunnel under the sea to France. And I think you would be right. Of course there has been no sudden moment of change. As 1990s-you got older, you might have detected glimmers of what was to come in the saga of the Millennium Dome or the 2001 Bradford riots. But there would come a moment when you would look around and say 'Now I see it. Things really are different now'. What we are living through today, in a phrase, is an unprecedented break in national continuity. As a country we are disconnecting from the old Britain. The Britain of our national story is disappearing, the Britain of the Romans through the Anglo-Saxons, the Normans, the Tudors, Nelson and Wellington, the two world wars and even the Attlee settlement. Gone is the Britain of Christianity and the Church as a core component of British identity, and moral judgement has become utilitarian, about what is convenient, disconnected from any traditional, let alone transcendental, set of values. Fast receding is the Britain of real state capacity and national ambition, as we move from Victorian St Pancras to the hole in the ground at Euston, from the first nuclear power station back to the windmill. Our national character is changing. We are, at last, becoming the 'young country', the country without a past, that Tony Blair wanted. Part of the reason is immigration, in particular the genuinely mass migration of the last decade or two, making London close to a majority foreign-born city and giving us our first taste of ethnic and communal politics. But equally, perhaps even more, responsible is the phenomenon of secular progressivism, turbo-charged into aggressive wokeism, with its belief that the historical past is irrelevant and probably actively immoral, and its determination to produce heaven on earth by releasing people from one inherited constraint after another, including finally those of biology itself. We have become a very different society over the last 30 years. And I think one unusual indicator captures it: the name of the country. Over the 1990s you would have seen 'Great Britain' slowly becoming 'the UK'. Google NGram shows that before 1960 the term 'UK' was barely used. Then, between 1980 and 2000, it suddenly leaps up to become much the most common term for the country, well above 'Britain' or 'Great Britain'. It still is. I don't think this is by chance. The only real parallel is the 'USA', a country which makes a virtue of its newness and of its origins in a political idea. I think the 'UK' as a term spread for similar reasons. It felt inclusive and in line with the ideology of multiculturalism in a young country. People coming here could retain their ethnic and cultural markers, their connection with the old country, while being a 'UK' citizen too. You could choose a traditional British historical or cultural identity, like that of England or Scotland, but you didn't have to. As a result, the word 'British' gradually ceased to be an ethnic or cultural term and became simply the adjective relating to the noun 'UK'. And we became known to the world not by a historical name but as a bureaucratic abbreviation. Some commentators on social media now go one step further and now, humorously or derisively, call us not the UK but the 'Yookay'. As you'll find if you google them, the term was initially used to symbolise the particular aesthetic quality of much of the modern UK, that jarring mixture of cultures bolted onto the pre-existing British environment. The American candy store next to the kebab shop with its modern signage stuck onto a half-timbered building. The scattered Lime bikes and discarded Deliveroo bags slung wherever on the street. And the soundtrack of modern Britain, multicultural London English with its global slang, the drill music on the train without headphones. If you live in a city, you recognise it. But the 'Yookay' now has a wider implication too: to suggest with the new name that we are now a new country, an actual successor state to the old Great Britain, distinct from it as I have described. And indeed we are becoming it: the Wessex or Mercia to Roman Britain, the ' island of strangers ' in Starmer's genius phrase, grottier, 'scuzzier' as The Spectator put it the other day, with a different national character, and with lower national ambition. Happily the transformation isn't complete yet. We don't have to become the Yookay. We don't have to live out our days like Roman villa-owners farming our estates as things collapse around us. Economic, social, and political reform – everything I have been setting out here over the years – can get us back on track. But for that we need politicians who can see what's going on and who care enough to get the country moving again – and who can reach back to the past, back beyond that break in continuity, to get the national energy to make it happen. For as George Orwell put it, in the final words of his great wartime essay The Lion and the Unicorn, 'we must add to our heritage or lose it, we must grow greater or grow less, we must go forward or backward. I believe in England, and I believe that we shall go forward.'
Daily Mail
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE 'Monaco video' a high-profile Australian spent a fortune to wipe from the internet... but I found it: THE GROUP CHAT
Welcome to The Group Chat with Lucy Manly, where Australia's most-trusted society insider shares the hottest gossip BEFORE it makes the news. No paparazzi!
Forbes
2 days ago
- General
- Forbes
3 Signs That You Thrive When You're Single, By A Psychologist
Singlehood isn't all good or all bad. It's a complex experience in a society that puts romantic ... More relationships on a pedestal. Despite this, here's how some people thrive in it. Are you good at being single? While singlehood has its ups and downs for everyone, some people find it more difficult than the rest, while others find it a lot easier than being in a relationship. So, what determines this relationship with singlehood? A new study published this June in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships offers us some answers. Researchers echo the sentiment that singlehood can be a complex experience, with both benefits and challenges, depending on your own perspective and social environment. Researchers interviewed 11 single adults of diverse ages and ethnic backgrounds about these complexities, and gained three primary insights into how it impacts them. Here are three signs that you find singlehood beneficial, more often than not, based on the study. One belief that often impacts how we feel about singlehood is around the 'appropriate age' to be single. Driven by societal expectations, many people believe that there's a 'right' time to be single — when you're young and chasing ambitious career goals or self-development, but not when you're older. When you're older, it's suddenly cause for concern. 'Especially in the cultural background I come from, I would definitely say as soon as you finish what you think is education, so it could be a bachelor's or a master's, and then the second you go into a full-time job, then all of a sudden there's a switch…then you should be actively looking to end your singlehood,' explains Diya, a 23 year old participant from the study. Our personal experiences and tendencies can fuel these feelings of inadequacy around singlehood. Recent research shows that about 78% of single adults tend to have an insecure attachment style, which is often characterized by either a strong need for reassurance or hyper-independence and a fear of vulnerability, abandonment and rejection. This type of attachment style can shape one's self-esteem and ideas around worthiness and love. For many such individuals, singlehood appears to confirm their deepest fears of being unlovable or unwanted, even though that's not the case. This can be especially difficult for singles who seek a romantic partner, but haven't yet found one. 'I would definitely not be happy if I'm single and 50. At that point you should have some kids and (be) in a healthy relationship,' says Theo, a 28 year old participant from the June study. The researchers found that as we get older, there's a tipping point that many people experience, where they either decide to wholly invest in their identity as a single person or focus on 'settling down' with someone. This can be an ongoing process through various life stages. 'I don't prefer being single, but if I have no choice then I'll be single and I'll be happy,' says Evelyn, a 43 year old participant from the study. So, it appears that those who are aware of their worthiness of companionship, but tend to not impose timelines on themselves for when it's appropriate to find a partner, likely fare better at being single. 'Our findings highlight that singles could reduce the incongruency between single status and age expectations by viewing singlehood as a legitimate lifestyle choice that requires investment (e.g., investing in friendships or hobbies) and rebuff beliefs that romantic relationships are a necessary first step for certain life goals,' the researchers explain. Researchers found that single participants often felt that a romantic connection happens at the expense of one's individual autonomy, and many struggled with balancing the need for both in their lives. 'Starting a relationship it's like 'hey I have limited time' because obviously I have work, I have family time, I have professional goals. I want to go to grad school. I love reading. I love doing my own thing,' mentions Carlos, a 24 year old participant from the study. Many single people feel torn between retaining the autonomy they believe singlehood offers them and wanting the deep sense of connection they believe only a romantic partner can bring them. 'I feel like in a relationship (with a) partner it's much more close together (than) with friends and family. (A romantic) someone that you could turn to and talk to – that is deeper and more intimate than just friends and family,' says Sean, another 24 year old participant from the study. However, research shows that relationships actually thrive when both partners experience autonomy in their connection, and singlehood does not have to mean a lack of deep connection either. In fact, many single people have deeply fulfilling platonic relationships, and this love and support is invaluable. A 2021 study published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin found that single people who experience greater satisfaction in their friendships also experience greater satisfaction with singlehood. For many, singlehood offers the opportunity to invest more time and energy into sustaining these relationships, which is, in turn, beneficial to their own well-being. So, a strong support system and fulfilling connections play a crucial role in finding joy in singlehood. Many single people struggle with the societal pressure to find a partner. To find solace in singlehood, researchers suggest that they must consciously and unconsciously reject these norms. Many participants reported being reminded of their singlehood indirectly, due to their social environments. 'In group (chats) it's all about (people) in marriages or they're pregnant or they bought a house with their partner. I think that for me at least (it) emphasizes my singlehood,' says Nicole, a 32 year old participant from the study. Other participants recalled how people around them made direct comments about their singlehood, treating it as a phase that must end, rather than a completely natural and acceptable path of life. Martin, a 56 year old participant who was divorced, highlighted how this played out in his social circles. '(Work colleagues) once in a while get into the subject 'well you want me to introduce (you) to my friend?' … there is a little bit of maybe we should help him,' he explains. 'My mother in the beginning was saying 'well you should remarry you shouldn't be alone,' but as (the) years passed she kind of stopped asking. Once in a while she asks am I still alone, (and) yes I am still alone, (and) once in a while she would kind of say something — 'well this isn't good you should find someone,' Martin adds. Being single in a society that glamorizes romantic love is no easy feat, but it can be deeply liberating and fulfilling to many, especially those who break free of the confines of social expectations around relationships. There is nothing deficient, unnatural or pitiful about being single, as we're often led to believe. In fact, a healthy relationship with singlehood indicates a deeply healthy relationship with yourself. And whether you're single or partnered, the knowledge that a romantic relationship isn't the be-all and end-all of your life can truly set you free. Does a fear of being single ever keep you up at night? Take this science-backed test to find out how you're faring: Fear Of Being Single Scale
