The German Federal Institute for Demographic Research has published grim forecasts
Almost a third (32%) of young German women and 38% of their male peers will never marry in their lifetime. Such are the grim forecasts published last week by the Federal Institute for Demographic Research (BiB).
“Germans have lost the desire to marry,” states the scientific director of BiB, sociologist Jürgen Dorbritz. “This is especially noticeable among men in the eastern states.” While in 1980, 12% said they would never marry, now that figure is already 41%, which is an historically unprecedented increase. In the western states, the figure is lower, but it too is constantly rising. As sociological studies show, 70% of western Germans and almost 75% of eastern Germans believe that the traditional institution of marriage is outdated. And as a result, we are witnessing the rapid formation of a new way of life: an increase in partnerships without starting a family, i.e., free unions.
What is the reason for this phenomenon? The Federal Government's advisor on marriage and family, sociologist Hans Bertram, sees it primarily in the unstable professional situation of today's youth. “A lack of confidence in the future is a characteristic feature of the current young generation. And from this perspective, they behave quite rationally, rejecting thoughts of children and long-term relationships,” the scholar believes. “Among these people there are many independent, highly qualified individuals engaged in creative and intellectual work. But every fourth woman and almost a third of men remain deliberately childless.”
Johannes Singhammer, deputy chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag, calling such trends extremely risky because they pose a threat to the future of German society as a whole, appeals for awareness: “People must realize that the welfare state can never provide the same sense of security as a traditional family,” he said.
Federal Minister for Family Affairs Kristina Schröder takes a much more optimistic view of the BiB forecast: “Although every third marriage in the country eventually fails, nevertheless, every second divorced person returns to the altar. From this it follows that the institution of marriage does not appear unattractive in the eyes of many.”
Already at the beginning of the 20th century, the outstanding German philosopher and cultural scholar Oswald Spengler (1880–1936) in his fundamental work 'The Decline of the West' warned the Western world about degradation. According to Spengler, rationalistic civilization (and today's youth, judging by Hans Bertram's assessment above, are more than rational) means the degradation of the higher spiritual values of culture, doomed to destruction.
Curious, did the 32-year-old minister read this work of her illustrious compatriot?
Sergey Debrer.
Russkaya Germaniya