News Right Now: Families Needed

A shocking decline in marriage rates has been shown in countries around the world. The average woman gets married in her 30’s – 40’s, as of 2021, opposed to a decade ago, when women would get married in their 20’s. Meanwhile the average man gets married in their 30’s as well, instead of in their mid-20’s. Statistics have shown in South Korea, for example, marriage in 2021 has dropped to below 200,000! This is the first time their stats have dropped so low since 1990. Meanwhile, in Europe, the countries have a very low marriage rate. Many from ages 18-30 still live with their parents.

Nevertheless, the birth rate in many countries has also dropped drastically. In the US, nearly half of women under 45 are childless. And in 2015-2019, 52% of women between the ages 15-44 gave birth. This is a drop from 55% in the prior 4 year period. While 40% of men, in 2015-2019, became fathers. Compared to the prior 4 year period, where it was 44% of men who became fathers. Moreover, as of 2019, half of births took place before couples tied the knot. Now, the families there are smaller, holding an average of three people per household- unlike the 1960’s, where the average was four people. Also, in the 1960’s, the average person had three kids... while in 2018, the average person had only one child.

China, one of the most populated countries, has taken a big dip in birth rates. In 2022, the birth rate dropped below 10 million, which is a new record low since 1949. Why? Why does the family household contain very few members now? Why is it that many people are still dependent on their families and have not built their own? And why are fewer people coming into this world? What is causing these capitalist countries to become under populated?

Simply put, it is because of the system these countries live under. Capitalism. For the values capitalism carries have caused Chicago Syndrome. This is where the economic progress has been elevated whereas the civilization living within these countries has suffered. These capitalist countries now suffer from social crisis, widespread criminality, violence against women and children, collapse in family institutions, and a falling birthrate; which place a large part of women being involved in the labor force.

You see, the “advancement and modernity” that capitalism tries to sell people is actually a toxic recipe for dehumanizing mankind. For it affects society in many ways. It makes women feel that their status would be much higher if they had a good career instead of mothering a child- making women lose passion to have children. It makes an individualistic society, where many people don’t commit to having a family because it causes them to sacrifice their finances and personal goals. It makes people value materialism instead of valuing the well-being of societies, which causes them to not care about the perversion of the human race. Capitalism’s recipe causes relationships to be unkempt, making an unhealthy civilization.

What if one still has that passion to be a mother? To be a father? Or to simply have a healthy family home? Well, many people are suffering from debt, job loss (as well as difficulty in getting a job), and rising property costs. For if one wants to get married, the wedding ceremony costs are high. So the outcome of that is marriages don’t take place. Some may just move in together. Meanwhile, the cost of having kids is high. Making one fear being unable to provide a healthy life for the child. As having a spouse and a child is a commitment... but this commitment may take away from the commitment jobs require. And if people were to sacrifice committing to their jobs, they may lose them. Making them not have an income to live. This makes marriage postponed and some even consider it to be the capstone to one’s life. It would take place when one would finish their education and have a stable career.

Individualism promoted by capitalism has further degraded harmony between the genders. Battling between so-called liberation vs domination. Women are fearful of violence, persecution , lack of correct financial support and being subjugated whilst men are fearful of women neglecting their needs, and responsibilities towards their family. Or the increasingly materialistic or differing views regarding responsibilities.

Conversely in Islam, the role of the man and the woman is defined by Allah (swt) related to the fitra of the man and the woman, in accordance with the Ahkam ash-Shariah to build a cooperative family with love and compassion. The Khilafah – as the global leadership for the Muslims – with its political, economic and social vision for human civilization – will implement a system that embodies comprehensive social-economic policies which couple modernity and prosperity with moral preservation as well as noble civilization, at the same time rejects liberal freedoms and rather promotes taqwa (God-consciousness) within society that nurtures a mentality of collective responsibility to eliminate various diseases within the community. All this is implemented under the umbrella of the Islamic ruling system that obliges an efficient judicial system to deal with marital conflict swiftly. Thus a healthy society will materialize, and the sustainability of the human race and its lineage will always be preserved. Thus creating families that flourish and succeed.

Ummah Voice Podcast
SoundCloud Link: Click Here