Birth rates and class divides

An interesting, and different, perspective on the issue of birth rates affecting government decisions and social structure: http://alvinology.com/2012/04/03/singapores-fertility-rate-is-now-the-lowest-in-the-world-will-singapore-born-singaporeans-become-extinct-soon/

This article cites the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) website, showing that 2012 estimates place Singapore as the country with the lowest fertility rate in the world. Singapore averages at 0.78 children born per woman. This article also cites the CIA website and shows that Singapore has the sixth highest net migration rate (the difference between the number of persons entering and leaving a country within a year per 1,000 persons) in the world. This is a big issue, and it is creating a great class divide in Singapore. In order to compensate for a decreasing labor force, the government is allowing vast inflows of foreign workers – changing Singapore’s social landscape. People worry, understandably, that the amount of “Singaporean” Singaporeans in Singapore is quickly dwindling with respect to the total population. Just found it interesting that in another part of the world, class divides are being created due to sharp declines in the fertility rate – and there’s really not much the government can do to target the root of this problem.