[freebeard]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

So why would this be a major problem? It would obviously cut the birth rate in the next generation.

Consider the population pyramid.

Types of population pyramids

Each country will have different or unique population pyramids. However, most population pyramids will be defined as the following: Stationary, expansive, or constrictive. These types have been identified by the fertility and mortality rates of a country.

"Stationary" pyramid
A pyramid can be described as stationary if the percentages of population (age and sex) remains constant over time. Stationary population is when a population contains equal birth rates and death rates

"Expansive" pyramid
A population pyramid that is very wide at the younger ages, characteristic of countries with high birth rate and low life expectancy. The population is said to be fast-growing, and the size of each birth cohort gets larger than the size of the previous year.

"Constrictive" pyramid
A population pyramid that is narrowed at the bottom. The population is generally older on average, as the country has long life expectancy, a low death rate, but also a low birth rate. However, the percentage of younger population are extremely low, this can cause issues with dependency ratio of the population. This pyramid is more common when immigrants are factored out. This is a typical pattern for a very developed country, a high level of education, easy access to and incentive to use birth control, good health care, and few negative environmental factors.

I would add a fourth type, the hourglass, caused by war or famine with recovery.

As for the social issues, men would just have to learn to share :-)

Well, thanks for sharing, I guess...