Post

Avatar
This is pretty interesting - Norway has one of the most (if not *the* most) beneficial policy settings for young families, with extremely generous leave and worker protections, but the rate at which people are having kids here continues to fall www.nrk.no/vestland/sto...
Stortinget diskuterer kortare arbeidstid for småbarnsforeldrewww.nrk.no Ein ny familie- og verdikonstellasjon på Stortinget vil ha «hentefri» for å lette byrda på travle småbarnsforeldre.
Avatar
Perhaps well educated families are also acutely conscious of the state of the world we're bringing new people into. I'm childless by choice and circumstance (but totally OK with those who aren't) but I reckon that weighs heavily on many folk's minds.
Avatar
Norway’s population differentiates itself from the rest of Europe as being comparatively less worried about climate change than the other countries. Source: climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications...
Avatar
Well that's... a little surprising and disappointing. Is housing absurdly expensive there too like it is in Australia? Cause there's plenty of non-climate grief to go around.
Avatar
I'd say there are three main factors: Many Norwegians think Norway is a bit on the cold side, so a bit of global heating wouldn't be a bad thing. Norway is rich, which will help it to deal with negative consequences. Norway is dependent on its oil and gas industry...
Avatar
The first two factors also apply to other countries where people are more worried. The third is more unique to Norway (but also to Canada). There’s a missing fourth factor, which I think is the most important – culture.
Avatar
Perhaps, but I'd say that Northern Europe is generally less concerned than Southern Europe, which is related the first (and to some extent the second) factor. In Norway, the 3rd factor is layered on top of those. And the question of culture is related to the fact that many people work in O&G.
Avatar
But when the Atlantic circulation breaks down and whole Europe heads for getting way colder, then they will face a new ice age in Norway.🫣
Avatar
Yes, it's possible the climate will get colder rather than warmer, but not many people in Norway are aware of that. So far, climate change appears to be producing more powerful storms and heavier precipitation, which is also causing problems to housing and infrastructure.
Avatar
Norway is not worried about climate change because they realize it is a euphemism for peak oil. Norwegians are blessed with North Sea oil, but realizing that won't last, they are prepping for alternative energy strategies. blog.wallbox.com/how-norway-b...
How Did Norway Become the Global Leader in EV Adoption?blog.wallbox.com Norway is leading EV adoption thanks to 30 years of incentives and charging infrastructure development. Learn how they got there.
Avatar
Avatar
One of the common dangers I see in public discussions is that there's far too much weight placed on the most recent study rather than the balance of the evidence. That's why @rahmstorf.bsky.social's nearly 40-year perspective is so valuable.
Is the Atlantic Overturning Circulation Approaching a Tipping Point? | Oceanographytos.org
Avatar
I suspect it is because Norway is ranked 1st in the ND-GAIN Country Index. Less vulnerable and with a better readiness to climate change gain.nd.edu/our-work/cou... gain.nd.edu/assets/52287...
gain.nd.edu
Avatar
I think one problem is going from 2 to 3+ kids, which is largely incompatible with how most people want to live their lives. With 3 you are basically forced to reduce working hrs and buy/rent a larger place to live which inevitably will hurt your economy and make commuting and logistics a nightmare.
Avatar
Do the men there do 50% of the childcare and housework? Because that’s a massive factor that I don’t hear talked about enough in the media.
Avatar
iirc it's much less than 50%, though slightly better than the world average - surely a major factor as you say
Avatar
How high is the patriarchy and sexism towards women in Norway? There is a suggestion that women just don’t want kids any more due to the financial/workplace penalties and the expectation to stay at home.
Avatar
yah the article slightly hints at that but surely that's a big part of it
Avatar
Although I disagree with their conclusions, the Labour Party representative hinted at a very important point, which is that it’s difficult to write policies that helps young parents that won’t just be answered by employers quietly refusing to give permanent contracts to young people, esp. women.
It's not true Such a scheme would require *rule of law" to deliver it, something which Norway lacks
Thanks, I was just commenting to someone that Nordic countries don’t have large families even though they have great family support (Norway was my example based on the experience of a friend who lived there)… good to have a reference to back up my impression :-)